[Fixed!] Arrow Keys Not Moving Between Cells in Excel (2 Ways)

A typical problem with arrow keys is that they move the spreadsheet but not the pointer. In this tutorial, we will illustrate how to fix arrow keys not moving between cells in Excel. Here’s an overview of using the Scroll Key to fix the issue.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel


Fix 1 – Turning Off the Scroll Lock Key to Fix Excel Arrow Keys Not Moving Between Cells

As shown in the image below, the Scroll Lock is active. When we press the right arrow () the page is moved instead of the cell. You remain in the B5 cell as before, but in a different sheet if you have one.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel


Case 1.1 – Applying Keyboard Shortcut to Turn Off Scroll Lock Key

Steps:

  • Press the Scroll Lock key on your keyboard to turn off the Scroll Lock.
  • Press the right arrow key (). You should shift from cell B5 to C5.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel


Case 1.2 – Using the On-Screen Keyboard to Turn Off Scroll Lock Key

Steps:

  • In your Windows search box type On-Screen Keyboard.
  • Click on the On-Screen Keyboard app.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel

  • Click on ScrLk.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel

  • Go back to your spreadsheet and press the right arrow key (). It should work as expected.

Easy Ways Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving between Cells in Excel

Shortcut to open the On-Screen Keyboard: Windows + Ctrl + O 


Fix 2 – Removing Add-ins to Fix Arrow Keys Not Moving Between Cells in Excel

Steps:

  • Go to the File tab and select Home.
  • Click on Options.

Sample Data

  • Select Add-ins.
  • Choose COM Add-ins from Manage.
  • Click on Go.

Sample Data

  • Disable all the Checkboxes.
  • Click OK.

Sample Data

  • Close your workbook and reopen it.
  • Your arrow keys should work as shown in the screenshot below. You can try to re-enable add-ins one at a time to see which one is causing the issue.

Sample Data


Download the Practice Workbook


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Bhubon Costa
Bhubon Costa

Bhubon Costa, B.Sc. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, has worked with the ExcelDemy since 2021. Currently, he has been working as a reviewer. Notably, he has written over 90 articles and led several VBA content development teams. He has a great passion for the fields of data analytics and data science. His areas of expertise include Excel VBA, Power Query, Pivot Table, Power BI, MySQL, PostgreSQL, machine learning, and Python... Read Full Bio

6 Comments
  1. thank you very nice

    • Thanks a lot for your appreciation. You can also put your problems here, the ExcelDemy team is always in your assistance.

  2. Thank you so much for this information, it has been very helpful!

    • Hello ER,

      We are glad to hear that our article was helpful to you. Thanks for your appreciation. Keep learning Excel.

      Regards
      ExcelDemy

  3. solution number 2 worked like a charm on my laptop, thanks a bunch

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