Excel Arrow Keys Not Working? Turn Off Scroll Lock

Arrow keys not working in Excel is almost always a mode, not a broken keyboard. If the arrows scroll the whole sheet while the selected cell stays put, Scroll Lock is on: press the Scroll Lock key to turn it off. If the arrows move a cursor inside the cell's text, you're in Edit mode: press Enter or Esc. This guide shows how to spot each cause from the status bar and fix it on any keyboard, including laptops and Macs.

Check the status bar first#

The status bar is the strip at the bottom of the Excel window. It tells you which mode Excel is in, and each mode makes the arrow keys behave differently:

If the status bar doesn't show Scroll Lock even when it's on, right-click the status bar and tick Scroll Lock so you can see it in future.

How to turn off Scroll Lock in Excel#

Scroll Lock is a keyboard setting that makes the arrow keys move the view instead of the selection. It is easy to switch on by accident. Turn it off in one of these ways:

1. Press the Scroll Lock key. On a full-size Windows keyboard it is usually labelled ScrLk or Scroll Lock, near Print Screen and Pause.
2. Use the On-Screen Keyboard if your keyboard has no such key. In Windows, open Start, type On-Screen Keyboard, and open it. Click ScrLk so it is no longer highlighted, then close it.
3. Try your laptop's Fn combination. Some laptops put Scroll Lock on another key with Fn. The key varies by model, so check the small labels on your keys or the maker's guide.

When Scroll Lock is off, the words disappear from the status bar and the arrows move from cell to cell again.

Scroll Lock is a Windows keyboard key, not an Excel setting. It stays on in other programs too, until you turn it off.

How to turn off Scroll Lock on a Mac#

Mac keyboards have no key labelled Scroll Lock. On a full-size Apple keyboard with an F14 key, press F14, or Shift+F14 if F14 alone does nothing. Mac laptops don't have F14, and Scroll Lock is rarely the cause there. If the arrows misbehave on a Mac, check for Edit mode first, then for a stuck modifier key such as Shift or Control.

The Excel shortcuts for Mac list the Mac versions of every movement key, and the guide to Excel on Mac vs Windows explains which keys differ.

Arrows move inside the cell: you're in Edit mode#

When you double-click a cell or press F2 (Mac: Control+U), Excel enters Edit mode. The status bar says Edit, and the left and right arrows move the text cursor instead of changing cells.

• Press Enter to keep your change and leave the cell.
• Press Esc to cancel the change.
• Press F2 again to switch to Enter mode, where arrows leave the cell (Windows).

A related surprise happens while you type a formula. After an operator such as = or +, the arrow keys move a dotted border around the sheet and insert that cell's reference into your formula. That's called Point mode. It's useful once you know it, and Esc gets you out.

Arrows jump to the edge of the data: End mode#

On Windows, pressing End on its own turns on End mode. The status bar shows End Mode, and the next arrow key jumps to the edge of the data, exactly like Ctrl+Arrow. After one jump, End mode switches itself off. If you pressed End by accident, press it again to cancel.

That jump is a feature worth learning on purpose. The guide to Ctrl+Arrow jumps shows how it stops at gaps in your data, which is a fast way to find blank cells.

Number pad arrows type numbers: Num Lock#

On a keyboard with a number pad, the keys 2, 4, 6 and 8 double as arrows. They act as arrows only while Num Lock is off. With Num Lock on, they type digits into the cell instead. Use the separate arrow keys, or press Num Lock to switch the pad back to arrows.

Arrows do nothing: other causes#

If the status bar shows none of the modes above, try these checks in order:

1. Click a cell. A task pane, search box or dialog may have the keyboard focus. If a dialog is open behind the window, close it.
2. Check for sheet protection. On a protected sheet where selecting locked cells isn't allowed, arrows skip locked cells or don't move at all. Look for Unprotect Sheet on the Review tab.
3. Test the keyboard elsewhere. Try the arrows in another program. If they fail there too, the problem is the keyboard or its driver, not Excel.
4. Restart Excel. An add-in can capture key presses. Closing and reopening Excel clears a stuck state.

Once the arrows work again, a few movement shortcuts save a lot of scrolling: Ctrl+Home goes to A1, Ctrl+End goes to the last used cell, and Ctrl+Arrow jumps to the edge of a block of data (on a Mac, use ⌘ with the arrow keys for the jump). The guide to navigating Excel with the keyboard and the Excel keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet cover the rest.

Practise it#

Moving around a sheet from the keyboard is the first thing a timed Excel test rewards. Practise moving around the sheet in a live spreadsheet: Enter, Tab, jumping to A1 and the Name Box, each checked as you go. Then practise jumping to the edge of your data with Ctrl+Arrow. Or try the last-value exercise on this page first.