Issue with SharePoint files

Question

When I open Excel files in SharePoint or through Microsoft Teams, pressing the left or right arrow keys on my laptop causes the data in the selected Excel cells to be deleted. Could someone please guide me on who can help resolve this issue?

I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:

• Restarted my laptop multiple times.
• Cleared my browser data, including browsing history, cookies, and cache.

However, the issue still persists. I do not experience this problem when I save the file to my local drive and open it using the desktop version of Excel. The issue only occurs when working with Excel files in the online version, such as through SharePoint or Microsoft Teams.

Answer 1

Dear Bayana Satish,

I hope you’re having a good day. 

Thank you for providing the details and for sharing the troubleshooting steps you've already tried.

Based on your description, the issue seems to occur specifically when working with files in Excel for the web (through SharePoint or Microsoft Teams), while the same files work normally in the desktop version of Excel. At this stage, it is not yet clear whether the cause is related to the workbook itself, the browser, or the Excel for the web session. Similar issues have previously been associated with browser-specific behavior or browser profile/session problems.

To better understand the scope of the issue, could you help clarify the following?

1. Does this happen with all Excel files opened in SharePoint/Teams, or only with specific workbooks?
2. Which browser are you currently using (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.)?
3. Does the issue affect only your account, or are other users experiencing the same behavior?
4. When you press the left or right arrow key, does the data get deleted immediately, or only when the cell enters edit mode?

In the meantime, I recommend trying the following steps:

1. Test in a different browser

• If you're currently using Chrome, try Microsoft Edge.
• If you're using Edge, try Chrome.

2. Test in an InPrivate/Incognito window

• Open a private browsing session.
• Sign in to Microsoft 365.
• Open the workbook and test the arrow keys again.

3. Create a brand-new workbook in SharePoint

• Create a new Excel file directly in SharePoint.
• Enter some sample data.
• Test whether the same behavior occurs.

4. Temporarily disable browser extensions

• Especially any extensions related to keyboard shortcuts, grammar checking, accessibility tools, or productivity enhancements.

5. Test from another device (if available)

• Open the same file using the same account on a different computer.
• This can help determine whether the issue is device-specific.

The results of these tests will help identify whether the issue is related to:

• A specific workbook,
• The browser or browser profile,
• The local device,
• Or potentially Excel for the web itself.

Please share the results of these checks when you have a chance, and we'll be happy to help narrow down the root cause further. Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.   

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details.  

Warm regards,  

---

If the answer is helpful, please select "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.