Excel iOS comments and menus problems

Question

For several months, I have had issues with menus in Excel for iOS, particularly when I'm creating or editing a comment. This happens to me several times a day, since I use one particular spreadsheet on my iPhone many times a day. Frequently, when I open a comment, the keyboard pops up on top of the comment, and I am unable to navigate to the portion of the comment where I can enter text. The only workaround that I have found it to close the app and open it again. Then is works for a short while. I open and close Excel iOS probably 20-30 times per day. I have worked with my company's IT support, have uninstalled and reinstalled the app countless time, and was finally told this is a known Microsoft issue with not current fix. This is not the end of the world since I have a workaround, but it is a major pain in the butt. Is anyone even aware of this issue and working on a solution?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Dear @Fritz, T,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I’m really sorry for the disruption this has been causing, having to close and reopen Excel dozens of times a day is understandably frustrating, especially when you rely on the app so heavily.

Based on your description, I want to let you know that you are not alone in experiencing this behavior. I’ve seen multiple reports from other users encountering similar issues in Excel for iOS, which are related to how the Excel iOS app and iOS handle keyboard and UI layout

At the moment, there isn’t any permanent fix or Microsoft Official's fix document available, but here are some workarounds I recommend you try:

• Step 1: Toggle network connectivity by switching to airplane mode or disabling Wi‑Fi while the app is frozen and then re‑enabling it can unstick the UI for a session. This trick is repeatedly reported and appears to work for a subset of affected users.
• Step 2: Use the Excel Online in a browser as a workaround until the native app is repaired. Several users found the Copilot application can open Excel files without freezing.
• Step 3: Reset cloud settings for the Excel app (Settings > Excel > Reset Excel > Reset Cloud Settings) or reinstall the app

Moreover, in the meantime, I strongly recommend submitting this through Excel > Help & Feedback in the iOS app. Reports sent this way go directly to the Excel mobile product team and include diagnostic information (such as app and iOS versions) that helps them investigate and prioritize fixes.

Note: Please be reassured that if there is any update from Microsoft, I will reach out to you as soon as possible.

Please understand that as a forum moderator, my role is to provide general guidance and troubleshooting support. I don’t have access to internal systems or backend tools, and I appreciate your understanding of these limits.

I appreciate your patience and understand how disruptive this is to your daily workflow. While I can’t provide a timeline for a fix, your feedback is important and does contribute to improving the app.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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Answer 2

It seems that you are experiencing a known issue with Excel for iOS, particularly related to the comment functionality where the keyboard obstructs text entry. Unfortunately, there is no current fix available for this problem, as confirmed by your IT support. Users have reported similar frustrations, and while your workaround of restarting the app temporarily resolves the issue, it is understandably inconvenient to have to do this frequently throughout the day.

If you haven't already, it might be worth checking for any updates to the app, as sometimes new releases can address existing bugs. Additionally, providing feedback directly to Microsoft through the app can help them prioritize this issue for future updates.

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References:

• My Microsoft365 Office Package no longer works with my iPad Pro - Microsoft Q&A
• Excel for iPad issues - Microsoft Q&A