With arrow keys on the keyboard, you can perform multiple operations. Moving from one cell to another by using a mouse pointer is not a simple thing to do. It becomes a real pain when you have large datasets to move around with a mouse pointer.
It would be entirely awesome to move around with just a single keypress. Arrow keys let you move from cell to cell easily but what would you do if these keys are not functional? Why are my arrow keys not working in Excel is a frustrating query you could encounter.
As a great time saver, arrow keys help in navigation smoothly. For many reasons, these arrow keys could stop working all of a sudden. In this post, let’s find out how you can solve this issue:
Check if the Scroll Lock in Enabled:
It might be possible that arrow keys are not functioning properly the way they should be because the scroll is not disabled. It simply can cause arrow keys to stop working and moving between cells. Excel always lets you know if the scroll lock is activated or not.
Follow the steps given below to check scroll lock is enabled in Excel:
Check your status bar to see if the Scroll Lock is appearing or not. If the Scroll Lock is showing, it means you have diagnosed the problem.
Once the issue is diagnosed, now let’s find out how it can be fixed:
- If the Scroll Lock is not showing in the status bar, right-click on an empty area.
- Make sure the Scroll Lock is checked.
- Once the Scroll Lock is checked and not appearing in the status bar, consider that it is not the real cause.
Let’s fix it:
- To deactivate Scroll Lock on a keyboard, you can press the Scroll Lock key. The Scroll Lock is present on the keyboard in the control key section usually above the arrow keys. This procedure is for Windows users.
- For a Mac user, the procedure would be slightly different. Press F14 or SHIFT + F14 key. Still, if the Scroll lock option is appearing, press Command + F14.
Disable Scroll Lock in Status Bar:
Other than the above methods, you can deactivate the Scroll Lock key in the Status Bar of Excel. You can use the status bar to disable the scroll lock feature in Excel.
Below are the easy-to-follow steps you can try:
- Open the Excel sheet. You can even open a new spreadsheet.
- Once the spreadsheet is opened, right-click on the Status bar located at the end of the workbook. It consists of features such as Page Layout and Zoom slider.
- Find the Scroll Lock option given in the Status bar menu. If you see the feature with the “On” status, simply click on it to disable it.
Activate Sticky Keys:
Notice: Trying this solution often does not work that’s why don’t rely on it thoroughly.
Below are the steps to activate sticky keys in Excel:
- Open the Control Panel and choose the Ease of Access option. You can open Control Panel with a shortcut command as well: Windows + R, Type Control, Press ENTER key
- Select the Make the Keyboard Easier to Use or Change how your keyboard works option. It might be possible that you may find slight changes in these options according to your OS version.
- Click OK once the Turn on Sticky Keys option is enabled.
- An alternative to these steps could be: press the shift key, again and again, five times while clicking Yes.
- Once the sticky keys option is enabled, open Excel and test if the arrow keys are working or not.
Reboot the PC:
Try this solution, when all the above-mentioned methods are not working. Rebooting the system is needed when no other fixes work. Why are my arrow keys not working in Excel is a query that has many answers. You can try all of them one by one. More often than not, rebooting a system often helps. While rebooting, you must be careful enough and ensure that all your data is protected.
Let’s Wrap Up:
Hopefully, the above methods helped you in solving the issue you are facing. There must be one solution that helped you in answering the question of why are my arrow keys not working in Excel. Make sure you have applied all methods when you don’t simply know the cause of this issue.
