How to Fix Arrow Keys Not Working in Excel on Windows 10

One of the most common issues Excel users encounter is arrow keys not functioning properly. When the arrow keys stop working in Excel it can be incredibly frustrating and hinder your productivity. If you find yourself unable to navigate Excel worksheets using the directional arrows don’t worry – in most cases, this problem is easy to fix on your own.

In this article, I’ll walk through the top troubleshooting steps to get your arrow keys working again in Excel on Windows 10 Whether it’s the up, down, right or left arrows that aren’t responding, these solutions will get Excel’s navigation back in order Let’s get into it!

What Causes Arrow Keys to Stop Working in Excel?

Before diving into the fixes, let’s first look at some of the common causes behind this issue:

• Scroll lock is enabled – Scroll lock is a leftover keyboard function from the early days of computing that can block the arrow keys.

• Keyboard settings or layout changes – If keyboard settings like default language were changed, it could make the arrows unresponsive.

• Num lock is on – With num lock enabled, arrow keys may trigger numeric keypad input instead of navigation.

• Shortcuts conflicts – Some 3rd party software shortcuts may be interfering and blocking the arrows.

• Corrupt add-ins – Faulty Excel add-ins could disrupt the default arrow key functions.

• OS/Excel display settings – Display size or magnification settings may impact how arrows are interpreted.

• Damaged keyboard – In rare cases, a hardware issue with the physical keyboard could be the culprit.

Now let’s look at how to systematically isolate and resolve the problem based on the most common situations.

1. Check if Scroll Lock is Enabled

One of the first things to check is whether scroll lock has been enabled. Pressing this key may inadvertently happen from brushing the keyboard and can easily block the arrow keys.

Follow these steps to check scroll lock:

• Open the Start menu and select the search box at the bottom of the screen.

• Search for and launch the on-screen keyboard.

• Look at the right side of the keyboard. This shows you all of the lock keys.

• If scroll lock is highlighted in blue, it is enabled. Select the key to toggle it off.

• Now try the arrow keys in Excel again – they should be responsive.

Disabling scroll lock frees up the arrow keys for navigation again. But if they are still not working, let’s move on to the next potential fixes.

2. Confirm Keyboard and Language Settings

Another cause could be changes made to the keyboard layout or input language in Windows settings.

Follow these steps to verify the proper keyboard is set:

• Go to Start > Settings > Time & Language.

• Select Language. Confirm your desired language is listed under Preferred languages.

• Now go back and open Keyboard settings.

• Under Keyboards, check that the correct keyboard layout is enabled that contains the arrow keys. The standard is usually US or UK.

• Open Excel and check if the arrow keys respond now.

Resetting the expected keyboard input language often resolves any issues caused by incorrect settings or layouts.

3. Check if Num Lock is Enabled

Num lock is another keyboard setting that could be diverting the arrow keys. With Num lock on, the arrow keys instead control the numeric keypad, preventing worksheet navigation.

Here’s how to disable num lock:

• Go back to the on-screen keyboard again as in the first section.

• Locate the Num lock key on the right side. If highlighted, num lock is enabled.

• Select the Num lock key to disable it. The highlight color should turn off.

• Now try the arrow keys in Excel again.

Turning num lock off should release the arrow keys back to their normal navigation functions.

4. Disable Other Software Shortcuts

Some third-party programs install shortcuts that use the arrow keys. If such a shortcut gets activated but isn’t visible on-screen, it can appear that the arrows aren’t working in Excel.

To rule out interference from other shortcuts:

• Temporarily uninstall any recently added software that may have included hotkeys.

• Go to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program. Right-click and uninstall shortcuts-related programs.

• After removing the potential conflicting software, test the arrows again.

If the issue started only after installing a certain program, there is a good chance its shortcuts are blocking the arrow keys in Excel.

5. Turn Off Excel Add-ins

Corrupted or conflicting add-ins are another source of functionality issues in Excel, including arrow key failures.

Follow these steps to isolate if a faulty add-in is the root cause:

• In Excel, go to File > Options.

• Select Add-ins from the left menu.

• Near the bottom, manage Excel Add-ins > Go.

• Uncheck all add-ins so they are disabled, then click OK.

• Now try the arrow keys again in a spreadsheet.

If the arrows start working properly, you know an add-in was causing the problem. You can then re-enable them one by one to identify the conflicting add-in.

6. Check Display Size and Magnification

The size of elements on your screen as determined by display settings can also impact how arrow key presses are interpreted in Excel.

Try adjusting these display settings to see if it resolves the issue:

• Go to Start > Settings > System > Display.

• Under Scale and layout, reset the display size to 100%.

• In Excel go to View tab and set zoom magnification to 100% as well.

• Test if the arrow keys work correctly with the normal 100% view.

• If issues persist, try slightly increasing or decreasing the zoom and display size.

Sometimes even being off by a few percentage points is enough to disrupt arrow key functionality, so tweaking display scale can get things realigned.

7. Use an External Keyboard

If you’ve tried all other troubleshooting steps and the arrows still aren’t working, it’s possible your keyboard itself is experiencing a hardware defect.

To test this:

• Connect an external USB or wireless keyboard to your computer.

• In Excel, try the arrow keys on the external keyboard.

If they operate normally, you can confirm it’s a problem with the physical keyboard on your laptop or desktop. You may need to replace the keyboard if an external one always works.

Unresponsive arrow keys in Excel can certainly be annoying, but hopefully this article gave you a clear roadmap to get them functioning again in most situations.

Here’s a quick summary of the steps we covered:

• Disable scroll lock
• Check keyboard settings
• Turn off num lock
• Rule out software shortcuts
• Disable add-ins
• Adjust display size
• Attempt external keyboard

Following this systematic troubleshooting approach should get to the bottom of your arrow key woes. Don’t let faulty Excel navigation slow down your spreadsheet productivity!