Excel arrow keys not working: how to fix it on Windows 11

Applies to: Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019 and Excel 2016 on Windows 11, the versions Microsoft lists on its Turn off Scroll Lock page. Menu names are from Excel for Windows. Microsoft’s keyboard shortcuts page notes that its shortcuts refer to the US keyboard layout, and keys on other layouts might not match exactly.

Match your symptom

The table is a map of this guide, not a list from Microsoft.

What you see	Likely cause	Go to
Sheet scrolls, selected cell doesn’t move	Scroll Lock is on	Fix 1
Arrows move the cursor inside a cell’s text	Cell is in edit mode	Fix 2
One press jumps to the end of the data, or the selection grows	End mode or Extend Selection is on	Fix 2
Arrows skip cells or stop at a certain row	Hidden rows, frozen panes or a protected sheet	Fix 3
Arrows lag, repeat or ignore quick presses	Sticky Keys or Filter Keys	Fix 4
Arrows do nothing in Excel but work in other apps	Add-in or damaged Office install	Fix 5, Fix 7
Arrows don’t work anywhere in Windows	Keyboard, driver or Num Lock	Fix 6

Fix 1: Turn off Scroll Lock

Scroll Lock changes what the arrow keys do in Excel. As general guidance, with it on, an arrow key moves the view of the sheet by one row or column while the active cell stays put, so it feels as if Excel stopped responding to the keys. Microsoft’s Turn off Scroll Lock page gives two ways to check and fix it:

1. Check the status bar. When Scroll Lock is on, Scroll Lock appears in the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window. If you don’t see it, the status bar may be set to hide it: right-click the status bar and select Scroll Lock so the indicator shows from now on.
2. Press the Scroll Lock key. On a full-size keyboard it’s labeled Scroll Lock or ScrLk. Press it once and try the arrow keys again.
3. Use the On-Screen Keyboard. If your keyboard has no Scroll Lock key, open the On-Screen Keyboard in Windows and select its ScrLk button.

On Windows 11, as general guidance, you can open the On-Screen Keyboard from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard or by pressing Windows + Ctrl + O. The ScrLk button turns a different color while Scroll Lock is on; select it again to turn it off, then close the On-Screen Keyboard.

Laptops without a dedicated key may put Scroll Lock on a second function of another key, reached with Fn. The combination differs between manufacturers, so check the laptop’s manual rather than pressing random Fn combinations, which can also switch Wi-Fi, the screen or the touchpad. The On-Screen Keyboard works on any laptop.

Fix 2: Leave edit mode, End mode or Extend Selection

Several Excel modes change what the arrow keys do, and each one shows up in the status bar. Look at the bottom-left corner of the window before you change anything else.

Edit mode

Microsoft’s shortcuts page says F2 edits the active cell and puts the insertion point at the end of its contents. As general guidance, while a cell is in edit mode the status bar shows Edit, and the left and right arrow keys move the text cursor inside the cell instead of moving to the next cell. Press Enter to keep your changes or Esc to cancel them; either one returns the arrow keys to cell movement.

When you’re editing a formula, Microsoft notes that F2 toggles Point mode on or off, so you can use the arrow keys to build a cell reference. If the arrows keep inserting references into a formula, press F2 once to switch Point mode off.

End mode

Pressing End turns on End mode, which Microsoft says is shown in the status bar. In End mode the next arrow key moves to the next nonblank cell in that row or column, or to the last cell if the cells are blank, and End mode then turns off by itself. If a single arrow press sends you far down the sheet, check the status bar for End Mode and press End again to clear it.

Extend Selection

According to Microsoft, F8 turns extend mode on or off; while it’s on, Extended Selection appears in the status bar and the arrow keys extend the selection instead of moving it. Shift + F8 starts a similar mode for adding cells to a selection. Press F8 once, or Esc, to return to normal movement.

A stuck Shift or Ctrl key has a similar effect. Microsoft lists Shift + Arrow as extending the selection by one cell and Ctrl + Arrow as moving to the edge of the current data region, so if every press selects cells or jumps to the edge of the data, tap both Shift keys and both Ctrl keys a few times to release them.

Fix 3: Check frozen panes, hidden rows and sheet protection

If the arrow keys move but the selection jumps over cells or seems to stop at one row, the sheet itself may be the reason. The checks below are general guidance:

• Frozen panes: the rows and columns above and left of the split stay on screen while the rest scrolls. Moving inside the frozen area can make the sheet look stuck. Select View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes to rule this out.
• Hidden rows or columns: the arrow keys skip hidden rows and columns, so the selection jumps past them. A gap in the row numbers or column letters gives them away. Select the surrounding rows, right-click and choose Unhide.
• Protected sheet: when a sheet is protected and selecting locked cells isn’t allowed, the arrow keys move only between unlocked cells, or not at all if every cell is locked. Check Review for an Unprotect Sheet button. On a shared work file, ask the owner before removing protection.

To see whether a jump is caused by the data, select an empty sheet with the plus button next to the sheet tabs and try the arrow keys there. If they work on the new sheet, the problem belongs to the original one.

Fix 4: Turn off Sticky Keys and Filter Keys

Windows accessibility features can change how key presses reach Excel. As general guidance, Sticky Keys keeps Shift, Ctrl or Alt active after you release them, so an arrow press can act as Shift + Arrow or Ctrl + Arrow. Filter Keys can ignore brief or repeated key presses, which makes the arrows feel slow or unresponsive.

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
2. Turn off Sticky keys and Filter keys.
3. Go back to Excel and try the arrow keys again.

If you turned these features on deliberately, you can switch them back on once you’ve confirmed they weren’t the cause.

Fix 5: Start Excel in safe mode and turn off add-ins

An add-in can capture keyboard input or change how Excel handles it. As general guidance, safe mode starts Excel without add-ins, which tells you quickly whether one of them is involved:

1. Close Excel completely.
2. Press Windows + R, type excel /safe and press Enter. Holding Ctrl while you open Excel and confirming the prompt does the same.
3. Open a blank workbook and test the arrow keys.

If the arrows work in safe mode, turn off add-ins one at a time in normal mode. As general guidance, go to File > Options > Add-ins, choose COM Add-ins in the Manage box, select Go and clear the check box next to an add-in. Microsoft’s View, manage, and install add-ins page confirms that an add-in whose check box is cleared is inactive. Restart Excel after each change, and repeat with Excel Add-ins in the Manage box if COM add-ins aren’t the cause.

Office Add-ins from the store are managed separately. Microsoft’s page says you can remove them under Home > Add-ins or File > Get Add-ins, on the My Add-ins tab, by right-clicking an add-in and choosing Remove. The same page mentions a Disable all Application Add-ins option in the Trust Center settings. On a work PC, check with IT before removing an add-in your organization installed.

Fix 6: Test the keyboard outside Excel

Open Notepad, type a few lines and use the arrow keys there. If they fail in Notepad too, the problem isn’t Excel. Our guide to fixing a keyboard that’s not working in Windows 11 covers drivers, connections and settings.

If you use the arrows on the numeric keypad, Num Lock decides whether those keys type numbers or move the cursor, so they type digits into the cell when Num Lock is on. Use the separate arrow keys, or see our Num Lock guide if the keypad doesn’t switch as expected. An external keyboard plugged in for a quick test is another way to rule out a faulty key.

Fix 7: Update or repair Office

If the arrow keys fail only in Excel, in every workbook and even in safe mode, the installation itself may be at fault. As general guidance, install the latest updates with File > Account > Update Options > Update Now and restart Excel. If your organization manages updates, that option may be hidden or locked.

When updates don’t help, repair Microsoft Office with Quick Repair first and Online Repair if needed. If Excel is also slow to respond to clicks and typing, not only the arrows, see Excel not responding. Once movement works again, the shortcuts in our Excel tips and tricks guide help you get around large sheets faster.

Known issues

Microsoft lists current Excel problems and workarounds on its Office support site under fixes or workarounds for recent issues. If arrow keys stopped working right after an Office update and none of the fixes help, check there.

Related guides

• Keyboard not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• Num Lock not working in Windows 11/10: 6 ways to fix it
• Excel not responding: how to fix freezes and hangs
• How to repair Microsoft Office (Quick Repair and Online Repair)
• Excel tips and tricks: 10 ways to work faster in Excel

Official sources

• Microsoft: Turn off Scroll Lock
• Microsoft: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel
• Microsoft: View, manage, and install add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word