Excel offers the various shortcut keys to move around a worksheet and select cells. The shortcut keys are arrow keys and many others.
But the problem is that the user does not know how arrow keys are working, and if the arrow keys are not working in Excel, how can they fix this problem? This blog will help them resolve the problem of arrow keys not working in Excel.
Part 1: Common Causes of Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel
There are many causes of arrow keys not working in Excel. If you face this problem, you need to know the reasons and how you can resolve this problem.
Freeze panes locked the worksheet: You need to zoom out the visible section to unfreeze the worksheet. This way, you can use the arrow key outside the area.
Sticky keys glitch keeps the scroll lock on: You can fix this problem by turning on and off the sticky keys in the Control Center on a Windows computer.
View protected worksheet: You can fix this problem by unprotecting the worksheet and protecting it after you are done.
Excel is still processing the complex formula: It can fix this problem after finishing the complex formula process when you are working on the spreadsheet in the formula entry mode. To turn this off, press Enter on the keyboard and Ctrl + Z to turn off this mode.
Part 2: Easy Ways to Fix the Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel
Here are a few steps to fix the problem of arrow keys not working in Excel. The set of steps for fixing the arrow keys is given below:
1. Switch Off Scroll Lock
You do not use the arrow keys in Excel because you have turned on the scroll lock. You need to look for the screen lock button on your keyboard to enable it. The button lights up. You need to press that button to deactivate it. If your keyboard has no button, you must follow the below step to turn off the screen lock. The steps are given below:
Step 1: Open the Start Menu and select the Search Box at the bottom.
Step 2: in the second step, search for the On Screen Keyboard.
Step 3: Look at the right side of the keyboard. All Lock Keys are present over there.
Step 4: Select the ScrLK key. Then turn off this key.
2. Activate Sticky Keys
You can also use eth sticky keys to fix the problem of arrow keys not working in Excel. One option you can consider enabling the sticky keys is pressing the shift key five times. A dialog box will open, and select yes to enable the sticky keys. Here are some steps to enable the sticky keys:
Step 1: In the first step, open the Start Menu and search for the Control Panel. Open the Control Panel.
Step 2: In the second step, you must Open the Ease Of Access Center and select Change How Your Keyboard Works.
Step 3: Select the Make the Keyboard Easier To Use from the menu options.
Step 4: Select Turn on Sticky Keys and select OK.
Step 5: Finally, go to your worksheet to see whether the arrow keys work.
3. Exit Formula Entry Mode
You are in the Excel formula entry mode if your cursor is not moving in your Excel sheet. Afterward, select a cell, type =, and start typing the function. If you press the arrow keys in this scenario, the selected code will change in the formula entry mode and your arrow keys cannot control the cursor in your worksheet.
To reactivate the arrows, you need to press Enter and Ctrl Z to undo the formula entry mode.
4. Unfreeze Columns
In Excel, you can freeze the panes to limit the spreadsheet section you are working for. If you are looking at the cells within the frozen rows and columns, you may think that the arrow keys are not working here. In this case, you need to unfreeze the panes to ensure working of the arrow keys. Another option is to try zooming out to allow the arrow keys to be used efficiently.
5. Deactivate Add-Ins
Another reason arrow keys are not working in Excel is that sometimes Excel conflicts with other application functions. When you turn off the add-in, you can use the arrow keys to work again. Here are some steps to deactivate the add-ins:
Step 1: Open the File Menu in your Excel spreadsheet.
Step 2: Select the Options from the sidebar.
Step 3: Then, click on Add Ins. This helps you view the Add-Ins setting.
Step 4: Select the Excel Add-Ins from the dropdown menu and then select the Go button.
Step 5: Choose all the Add-Ins and then click OK.
Step 6: Deselect all the Add-Ins and select OK.
Step 7: You must repeat the process to turn off all Add-Ins in the drop-down menu.
Step 8: Finally, you must check whether you can use the arrow keys again or not.
Part 3: Free Microsoft Excel Editor - WPS Spreadsheet
When you use the wps spreadsheet instead of Excel for dealing with your large data, you will not face the problem of the arrow keys not working in the wps. You need to know that the wps spreadsheet is a free data analysis and visualization tool that provides users free templates to handle the charts, budgets, and analyze business finances.
You will not face the problem of the arrow keys like Excel. In the wps spreadsheet, you can freely and easily use the tools for managing your large data without any problem. The benefits of the wps spreadsheet over Excel will encourage you to download the WPS Office and start your work on this sheet.
FAQs
1. How can I unlock my arrow keys in Excel?
Ans. If you want to unlock your arrow keys in Excel, you can do it by turning off the scroll lock. Here are the steps for unlocking your arrow keys in Excel:
Step 1: If your keyboard has no scroll lock key on your computer, click Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.
Step 2: You must Click the On Screen Keyboard button to turn it on.
Step 3: Finally, when the On-Screen Keyboard appears on your screen, click the ScrLk button.
2. Why are the arrows not working in Excel on my Mac?
Things are more complicated when using the Mac instead of a window computer. Because the Mac does not have the scroll key. However, if you have the right keyboard in which the F14 key is available, you can use the keyboard shortcut key to turn off the scroll lock on Mac. Here are some steps to turn off the scroll lock key on a Mac keyboard:
Step 1: Look for the F14 key on your keyboard.
Step 2: Press Shift+F14 to toggle scroll lock.
Step 3: Try your arrow keys to check whether they are working. You can also repeat the keyboard shortcut if necessary.
Manage Spreadsheets with WPS Office
In this blog, you have learned the problem of using the arrow in Excel. Following the tips mentioned here will help you resolve this type of problem in different ways and ensure that you can manage your spreadsheets without running into problems.
However, when you use the WPS Spreadsheets instead of Excel for handling your large data, you will not face this problem. WPS Office will provide you with every ease while working on the wps spreadsheet. It is a proper office suite that can help you create documents, spreadsheets, slides, and PDFs in one place.
When you use the WPS Office on your Windows computer or Mac, you are most likely not to face the problem of the arrow keys not working. Download WPS Office for using the spreadsheet, and you will be able to complete your work properly.
