Filtering, sorting and autofill stopped working all of a sudden

Question

In ALL worksheets no option for filtering, sorting or autofill work, neither in normal ranges nor in tables. And this happened all of a sudden. No worksheet of mine was protected and it used to work fine in all those worksheets. Please, help!

Answer 1

Try the following steps in order, checking if filtering/sorting/autofill start working again after each step:

1. Check for sheet protection
   • Go to each affected worksheet.
   • On the Review tab, look for Unprotect Sheet.
   • If Unprotect Sheet is available, click it and remove protection (enter password if required).
   • Sheet protection can allow some actions (like selecting cells) but block others such as sorting and using AutoFilter. Once sheet protection is disabled, sorting and AutoFilter should work again.
2. Check if filters are applied and clear them
   • On the Home tab, in the Editing group, select Sort & Filter > Clear.
   • Do this on a range and on any Excel Tables in the sheet.
   • This removes any problematic filter state that might be blocking normal behavior.
3. Check compatibility-related filter/sort issues
   • If the workbook was saved to an older Excel format (for example, Excel 97–2003), run the Compatibility Checker when saving.
   • If it reports issues such as unsupported filters or sort-by-format conditions:
     • Use Find in the Compatibility Checker to locate the affected ranges.
     • Remove sort conditions that use formatting (cell color, font color, icons) and revert to simple value-based sorts.
     • Clear unsupported filters as above (Home > Sort & Filter > Clear).
4. Test in a new workbook
   • Create a new blank workbook.
   • Enter a small sample table of data.
   • Apply Filter, Sort, and Autofill.
   • If these work in a new file, the problem is likely with the specific workbook (corrupted sort/filter state or compatibility mode). Copy the data into a new workbook and reapply filters/sorts.
5. Repair or reinstall Office if all workbooks are affected
   • If no workbook (including new ones) allows sorting/filtering/autofill, Office may be corrupted.
   • Close all Office apps.
   • In Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select Microsoft 365/Office > Modify.
   • Choose Online Repair and complete the repair, then restart Windows and test Excel again.

If the issue started after an update or subscription/activation change on a device like iPad or Mac, reinstalling the Excel app has resolved similar “can’t edit or use features” issues for other users.

---

References:

• Protection and security in Excel
• Sorting and filtering compatibility issues
• Excel 365 might stop responding or experience performance problems when switching between worksheets
• When I open an excel file it shows - We're sorry, but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly, Excel will need to be closed as a result. would you like us to repair now? then shows the option "repair now","help","close" - Microsoft Q&A
• I have been using Excel for IPad for over a year and suddenly it has stopped working. - Microsoft Q&A
• My Microsoft365 Office Package no longer works with my iPad Pro - Microsoft Q&A
• XLOOKUP, FILTER NOT WORKING WITH EXCEL ON MAC 365. - Microsoft Q&A
• Excel unable to edit - Microsoft Q&A