I cannot add a space between words in a cell for excel

Question

I cannot type in excel with the space bar. I have rebooted the computer, shut down excel, fixed accessiblity of my keyboard. Nothing is working. What do I do?

Answer 1

Apparently AnnaThomasH is ubder the impression she is responding to an Excel for Windows user... Scroll Lock is rare on today's Macs: There is no Safe Mode for Mac Excel; Repair Office is a Windows tool not available in Mac Office.

There are 3 common causes:

1. The Mac needs to be restarted, &
2. Either macOS or Office [or both] need to be updated, &
3. There is some sort of keyboard "helper" or other utility/add-in which is interfering rather than helping.

You've provided no version information for macOS or Office so anything further would be pure guesswork.

Answer 2

Now I can't getitto work without the shift KeyAT All even TYPING THIS>. I HAVE TO KEEP MY PINKY ON THE SHIFT KEY

Answer 3

Bob's right. I thought this was a Windows related. However, like you’ve tried several troubleshooting steps already. If the issue persists, it could be a hardware issue with your keyboard. You could try using a different keyboard to see if the issue persists.

If the issue is not with the keyboard, you could try resetting your Mac’s PRAM (Parameter RAM) and SMC (System Management Controller). These are small amounts of memory on your Mac that store certain settings and can sometimes cause issues if they become corrupted. Here’s how you can reset them:

To reset PRAM:

Shut down your Mac. Press the power button to turn it back on. Immediately press and hold the Command + Option + P + R keys. Keep holding the keys until you hear the startup sound twice or see the Apple logo appear and disappear twice.

To reset SMC on a Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip:

Shut down your Mac. Press and hold the Control + Option + Shift keys for 7 seconds. While still holding these keys, press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. Release all keys and wait a few seconds. Press the power button to turn on your Mac.

Learn more: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page seems to provide accurate and reliable information. Beware of advertisements on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as PUPs (potentially unwanted products). Do thorough research on any product advertised on the site before downloading and installing it.

Answer 4

I appreciate any help on this issue, so thank you both for responding. I have a new Mac and used Migration Assistant to move to the new Mac from the old one. My keyboard is about 4 years old. Maybe that is the issue, but no issues until yesterday when I started working on the new Mac. I am working on Mac version Venture 13.3.1 (a). My office version is 16.72

I went to keyboard shortcuts and set up and there is nothing there, it doesnt matter if I turn off the shortcuts etc.

I am trying to research some kind of "helper" or utility add/in to delete it. Looking in apps. I have shut the Mac down and rebooted 4x yesterday and again this morning, it makes no difference.

Any other ideas would be great.

Answer 5

Hi Kathryn

I'm AnnaThomas and I'd happily help you with your question. In this Forum, we are Microsoft consumers just like yourself.

Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot the issue:

Check if the issue is specific to Excel or if it occurs in other applications as well. If the issue occurs in other applications, it may be a problem with your keyboard or operating system.

Make sure that the Scroll Lock key is not enabled on your keyboard. If Scroll Lock is enabled, pressing the space bar may cause the active cell to move instead of adding a space.

Try starting Excel in safe mode by holding down the Ctrl key while launching the program. This will disable all add-ins and customizations and may help identify if an add-in or customization is causing the issue.

If the issue persists, you can try repairing your installation of Office by going to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, selecting Microsoft Office, and clicking Change > Repair.

I hope this helps ;-), let me know if this is contrary to what you need, I would still be helpful to answer more of your questions.

Best Regards,

AnnaThomas

Give back to the community. Help the next person with this problem by indicating whether this answer solved your problem. Click Yes or No at the bottom.