Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel? Here's How to Fix It Quickly

When using Excel, arrow keys are supposed to move the selection from one cell to another. However, if your arrow keys are not working in Excel, they might scroll the entire worksheet instead—similar to using the scroll bars.

This common issue prevents users from navigating between cells with their keyboard. Instead of moving the cell selection, pressing the arrow keys shifts the entire spreadsheet view. This often leaves users wondering how to restore normal arrow key behavior.

In this guide, we’ll explain why this happens and how to fix it fast.

Why is my arrow key not working in Excel?

If you cannot navigate using your arrow keys, it’s most likely because of your settings.

Of course, it’s also important to make sure that your hardware is actually working properly and that your keyboard drivers are up-to-date.

In most cases, users reporting having this issue had their scroll lock enabled and were able to use the arrow keys once they disabled it. Learn below how to do that and a few other tricks that should help.

How to fix the Excel spreadsheet arrow keys not working issue?

1. Press the Scroll Lock keyboard key

Excel users can’t navigate Excel spreadsheet cells with arrow keys when Scroll Lock is enabled. You can check if Scroll Lock is on by right-clicking the status bar at the bottom of Excel’s window to open the menu shown directly below.

That menu tells you if Scroll Lock is on or off. However, clicking Scroll Lock on the menu will only stop the status bar from showing if Scroll Lock is on.

Turning Scroll Lock off will fix this issue for most users. If your keyboard includes a Scroll Lock key, press that button. Some users might need to press an ScrLk key to turn SL off.

2. Turn off Scroll Lock with the On-Screen keyboard (worked for most users) ✅

1. 1. Launch the Run dialog by pressing the Windows + R keys at the same time.

2. 2. Enter osk in Run, and press the OK button.

   

3. 3. The On-Screen Keyboard will now open.

4. 4. Click the ScrLk key on it to turn off Scroll Lock.

   

5. 5. Close the On-Screen keyboard.

6. 6. Try navigating an Excel spreadsheet with the arrow keys and see if it works.

As long as you have Scroll Lock enabled on your keyboard, the arrow keys will not work properly in Excel. If your keyboard is not working, you can use the On-Screen keyboard to turn this feature off.

3. Start Excel in Safe Mode

An Excel add-in conflict can sometimes stop users from navigating Excel spreadsheet cells with their keyboards’ arrow keys.

To fix that, try opening Excel in Safe Mode, which launches the application without superfluous add-ins. You can do that by entering ‘excel /safe’ in Run and clicking OK.

If that fixes the issue, then an add-in is probably the culprit. In this case, you’ll need to disable the add-in by clicking File > Options > Add-ins in Excel.

Then select Excel Add-ins on the Manage drop-down menu, and click the Go button. Thereafter, you can uncheck the checkboxes for Excel add-ins to selectively disable them.

4. Turn Off Sticky Keys

1. First, open Run
   • Press the Windows key + R hotkey.
2. Input control /name Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter in the Open box, and select the OK option.
   

   

3. Click Make the keyboard easier to use to open the options shown directly below.

   

4. Deselect the Turn on Sticky Keys option.
5. If the Turn on Sticky Keys checkbox isn’t selected, click its checkbox.
   • Click that option’s checkbox again to turn it off.
6. Press the Apply button.
7. Click OK to exit the window.

Read more about this topic

• Excel file will not scroll down? Fix it with these methods
• How to fix Microsoft Excel’s File not loaded completely error
• Microsoft Excel is trying to recover your information error
• How to Enable Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock Warning on PC

The above resolutions have fixed Excel’s spreadsheet cell keyboard navigation for lots of users.

If you’re aware of another way to solve this problem, share it in the comments section below so that other users can try it, as well.