Automatic Completion of cell

Question

The automatic completion of cell is not working properly in my worksheet.

If I type "a_bcd" in a cell it will appear in the cell below.

If I then type "a_def" in the next cell below when I move to the next cell down vertically then when I type "a_" both entries should appear. But they do not, neither of the previous entries appears.

In File, Options, Advanced, the box is ticked for Enable Autocomplete for cell values & the line below Automatically Flash Fill.

I am running Microsoft 365 on a Windows 11 laptop. I am running Version 2512: January 13.

Can you help please?

Answer 1

Hello.

This actually sounds like expected behavior for how Excel handles duplicate starting characters. AutoComplete works by suggesting text only when there is a unique match. Since both a_bcd and a_def start with the same characters a_, Excel stops suggesting anything because it doesn't know which one you want yet.

If you type the next specific letter (like a_b), does it correctly finish the word then?

Also, you can force a dropdown list to appear by pressing Alt + Down Arrow on your keyboard if you expected to see one.

Answer 2

It seems that the issue you’re experiencing is related to how Excel handles AutoComplete in cells. Even though “Enable AutoComplete for cell values” is checked, Excel has some subtle limitations that can prevent the behavior you expect. AutoComplete only works within a single column and only considers previous entries in the same column that start with the same characters. It also will not trigger if there’s a blank cell in between entries.

For your example: if you type a_bcd in A1 and a_def in A2, AutoComplete should work when typing a_ in A3. If it’s not showing suggestions, common causes include hidden formatting differences, extra spaces, or Excel not recognizing the previous cells as continuous entries. Sometimes Excel also caches AutoComplete incorrectly, which can happen after updates or prolonged use.

Try the following to troubleshoot:

Check for leading/trailing spaces in your previous entries by selecting the cells and using:

=LEN(A1)

If the length is longer than expected, there may be hidden spaces.

Ensure the entries are in the same contiguous column with no completely blank cells in between. AutoComplete does not look across gaps.

Restart Excel after clearing the column to reset its AutoComplete memory.

If the issue persists, sometimes the AutoComplete cache becomes corrupted. There’s no direct way to reset it from the interface, but you can recreate it by: copying the column to a new workbook, deleting the original, and pasting it back.

If you want Flash Fill as a workaround, you can type the desired value pattern in the first cell, then press

Ctrl + E

and it will fill the pattern for the rest of the column.

Since you’re on Microsoft 365, also make sure your Excel is fully updated via File > Account > Update Options > Update Now, because some AutoComplete behaviors were improved in recent builds.

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hth

Marcin