How To Fix Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel

Using the arrow keys to work through your Excel worksheet facilitates easier cell navigation, and it’s the best way to highlight and scrutinize your data. Although your mouse can be used to move around the cells, not having the option to use your arrow keys too can be frustrating.

If your arrow keys are not working in Excel, there are a few reasons for this and fixing the issue might be easier than you think. Read on for some troubleshooting tips to work through that hopefully will get your arrow keys back to working as expected.

Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel on Laptop

Here are some tips to get the arrow keys to work in your Excel spreadsheet again via your laptop:

Check Whether Scroll Lock Is Enabled

One common reason for the arrow keys to stop working is because the “Scroll Lock” key is enabled. Check your keyboard to see whether the light is on for the “Scroll Lock” key. If it is on, press the “Scroll Lock” button to disable it, then try using the arrow keys in Excel again.

Disable Sticky Keys

Another fix option is to disable the “Sticky Keys” feature. Although “Sticky Keys” is not directly linked to Excel or your laptop’s arrow keys, it’s worth making sure it’s disabled to see if that fixes it. Follow these steps to get to the “Sticky Keys” feature:

1. Launch the Control Panel.
   
2. Select “Ease of Access Center.”
   
3. Now either choose “Make the keyboard easier to use” or “Change how your keyboard works.”
   
4. Select the option that says, “Turn off Sticky Keys,” then click on “OK.”
   

Disable Add-Ins

Add-ins are great for getting more out of Excel. However, sometimes add-ins can cause conflicts. If you have add-ins installed, try disabling them to see if that gets the arrow keys working again. To disable your Excel add-ins, do the following:

1. Open “Excel.”
   
2. At the top, select the “File” menu, then choose “Options” from the left sidebar.
   
3. Select “Add-ins” from the left sidebar to see the add-in’s settings.
   
4. Choose “Excel Add-ins” via the dropdown menu, then “Go.”
   
5. Deselect all the add-ins, then click on “OK.”
   

Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel on a Mac

If your arrow keys refuse to work when using Excel on your Mac, try the following troubleshooting tips:

Check Whether Scroll Lock Is Enabled

One of the most common reasons the arrow keys will not work is because the “Scroll Lock” is on. The “Scroll Lock” can be mistakenly enabled and remain unnoticed. Here are some options to disable the “Scroll Lock” on a Mac:

• Press the “F14” or the “Shift” + “F14” key.
• Or press the “Command” + “F14” key.

One of those key combinations should disable your “Scroll Lock.”

Disable Add-Ins

Add-ins are great but can sometimes cause conflicts with the main software. If you have add-ins installed in Excel, try disabling them to see if that resolves the issue. Follow these steps to disable your add-ins in Excel:

1. Launch the “Excel” app.
   
2. Select the “File” menu, then choose “Options” from the left sidebar.
   
3. Select “Add-ins” to see your add-in settings within the left sidebar.
   
4. Choose “Excel Add-ins” from the pull-down menu, then select “Go.”
5. Deselect all the add-ins, then “OK” to confirm.
   
6. Ensure you’ve disabled every add-in option in the dropdown menu.

Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel on a Windows PC

If your arrow keys are not working in Excel on a Windows PC, try these common troubleshooting tips to hopefully resolve the cause:

Check Whether Scroll Lock Is Enabled

This is the most common reason why the arrow keys stop working. Check whether the “Scroll Lock” key is enabled. Desktop keyboards typically have a series of lights on the top to indicate scroll, caps, or number locks. If “Scroll Lock” is on, just press the “Scroll Lock” button on your keyboard to turn it off. Or if your keyboard has no “Scroll Lock” button, here’s how to disable it using the on-screen keyboard:

1. Open the Start menu and search for “On-Screen Keyboard,” then select that option.
   
2. On the virtual keyboard’s right side, you will see all the lock keys. Locate the key labeled “ScrLk.” Click on it, and it will disable your PC’s scroll lock if it was enabled.
   

Disable Sticky Keys

Try disabling the “Sticky Keys” feature. Although the “Sticky Keys” is not directly related to Excel or the arrow keys, it’s worth ensuring that it’s disabled. Follow these steps to disable this option:

1. Enter a search for “Control Panel” and open it.
   
2. Select “Ease of Access Center.”
   
3. Select “Make the keyboard easier to use” or “Change how your keyboard works.”
   
4. Uncheck the “Turn on Sticky Keys” option, then click “OK.”
   

Disable Add-Ins

Add-ins are great for helping you get more from Excel; however, they can cause conflicts at times. If you have add-ins enabled in Excel, this could be the reason why the arrow keys aren’t working. Try disabling the add-ins to see if this resolves the issue. Here’s how:

1. Launch “Excel.”
   
2. Click on the “File” menu option at the top, then choose “Options” from the left sidebar.
   
3. Select “Add-ins” from the left sidebar to see your Excel add-ins settings.
   
4. Choose “Excel Add-ins” from the pull-down menu, then select “Go.”
   
5. Deselect all the add-ins, then choose “OK.”
   

Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel (Not Scroll Lock)

If the arrows keys are still not working in Excel and the scroll lock is not enabled, here are more troubleshooting tips to try from your device that may solve it.

Exit Formula Entry Mode

In Excel, you may be in a formula entry mode, which means you’ve selected a cell in Excel, and entered “=” then started to type a function. If you press the arrow key in this scenario, the chosen cell in the formula will change, but the arrow keys will not control the cursor in the worksheet.

To get the arrows working again, just hit “Enter” and then “Ctrl-Z” to undo the formula and exit the entry mode.

Unfreeze Columns or Rows Inside the Current View

If the cells in the worksheet you’re looking at are within a group of frozen rows or columns, it may look as though the arrow keys have stopped working. However, this isn’t the case. There is no need to unfreeze those panes. You could just try zooming out of the magnification to allow the use of the arrow keys via the unfrozen area of the spreadsheet.

Disable Add-Ins

Either try disabling recently added add-ins in Excel or disable them all, as it’s possible that an add-in could be conflicting with Excel. Here’s how to disable your Excel add-ins:

1. Select “File,” “Options,” then “Add-ins.”
   
2. Select “Excel Add-in” then “Go.”
   
3. Deselect all add-ins, then choose “OK.”
   
4. If your arrow keys begin to work again, go through the add-in list and re-enable them individually to narrow down the problem.
   

Unprotect the Workbook

Whenever you launch a protected worksheet or workbook, you won’t have the option to select cells by scrolling through them using your arrow keys. Therefore, try unprotecting the sheet to get the arrow keys to work. You can protect it again once you’re done.

Are You Performing Multiple Calculations?

Sometimes, it may take Excel a while to process if you’re performing several calculations simultaneously. You’ll be prevented from navigating around the spreadsheet using the arrow keys during that time.

Arrow Keys Not Working: Solved!

Using the arrows keys in your Excel spreadsheet is an accurate way to navigate your data. At times the arrow keys appear not to be working or are being prevented from functioning. Luckily, in most cases, you’re only a keystroke away from resolving the cause.

What do you enjoy most about Excel? Are there any features you think would help to improve your experience? Share your opinions in the comments section below.