Problem with entering simple formula.

Question

New user to Excel in 365 for mac, macbook pro 23 inch 2017, intel dual core chips, ventura 13.6.4. Used to use excel extensively, so not an overall newbie.

I want to use (as I used to in previous years) the arrow keys to move to cells to include in a formula. But after the first cell selection, subsequent arrow keys move curser within the cell. Example:

1. go to cell a4
2. enter '='

3.arrow to cell a3,

4. enter '+'
5. I now want to arrow to cell a2, and hit enter. BUT using arrow keys only moves curser within formula in cell.

This happens if preference/edit/ edit directly in cells is checked or is not checked.

Answer 1

If you never use mouse to click formula bar, the arrow key will always work. If you had clicked in formula bar you need to click any cell to trigger the arrow key to work.

Here is my test steps.

1. =
2. Choose H7
4. Use arrow key to choose a cell. (It works.)

Here is another test steps.

1. =
2. Choose H7
3. Click formula bar then input + (now arrow key will not choose another cell)
4. Click formula bar then input +
5. Choose any cell in sheet, (now arrow key will work to choose another cell)

Answer 2

Please ignore this. I closed excel, rebooted, relaunched, and all is now well!

Answer 3

From your description, it seems other software changed the behavior of formula input.

Have you tried switch to another input method when you meet that issue?

Answer 4

Hi Mia,

Thanks for your response.

Well, I thought I had solved the problem, which I had, for a half a day. But then the problem returned. So I exited Excel, deleted Excel Preferences, including a whole lot from software I used to use over 5 years ago. I also deleted Excel Cache files. I put the old Preference and Cache files in trash and emptied trash. I shut down the computer, then rebooted and once again Excel worked perfectly. But after a few hours, it reverted to the same problem. Frustrating. Any ideas?

There is also another problem I have now identified. If I open a new window (window 2) and want to enter a formula in, say, cell A10, sheet 2, window 2, to be equal to cell A1, sheet 1, window 1, plus cell B1, sheet 1, window 1, it works fine to start with. But the, after a while, when I click the curser over A1 or B1 in sheet1, window 1, Excel balks, gives me a nasty clunk sound and refuses to take the command. Any ideas on this?

Answer 5

Dear respected Ian,

Thanks for sharing your resolution back in our community.

We will mark your reply as the answer so that other users who encounter a similar issue can have a try to relaunch Office apps and see if it can remove the temporary cache and reset everything back to normal.

Appreciate your kind understanding and patience. Hope you a nice day!!

Sincerely,

Mia