Can’t type numbers or enter data into Excel cell
The troubleshooting guidelines to deal with this problem are explained below. But before you proceed, close all the Excel files and open Excel again. Now, check if you can type something in your Excel spreadsheet. If Excel won’t let you type this time too, restart your computer and check the status of the issue. Some users were able to fix the problem by doing the following trick:
Open a new blank Excel spreadsheet.Type something in the new spreadsheet.Now, type in the original (problematic) spreadsheet.
You can also try the above trick and check if it helps. If the issue persists, try the following fixes. Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.
1] Check the Editing options setting
If the “Allow editing directly in cells” option is disabled in Excel Editing settings, you may experience this type of problem. To check this, go through the following instructions:
2] Troubleshoot Excel in Safe mode
The problem might be occurring due to some Excel Add-ins. You can check this by troubleshooting Excel in Safe mode. Some of the Add-ins remain disabled in the Safe mode. Hence, launching an Office application in Safe mode makes it easier to identify the problematic Add-in. The process to troubleshoot Excel in Safe mode is as follows:
Case 1: You are able to type in the Safe mode
Case 2: You are unable to type in the Safe mode
3] Move files from the C directory to another location
Move the Excel files from the C directory to another location and check if the problem disappears or not. Follow the instructions listed below.
4] Uninstall the recently installed software
If the problem started occurring after installing an app or software, that app or software may be the cause of the problem. To check this, uninstall the recently installed app or software and then check if you can type in Excel. Some users have found the following third-party applications the cause of the problem:
Tuneup UtilitiesAbby Finereader
If you have installed any of the above software, uninstall them and check if the problem disappears. Read: Excel freezing, crashing or not responding.
5] Disable the Hardware Graphics Acceleration in Excel
If the Hardware Graphics Acceleration is enabled in Excel, that may be causing the problem. You can check this by disabling the Hardware Graphics Acceleration. The steps for the same are as follows:
6] Change the Trust Center settings
Change the Trust Center settings and see if this fixes the issue. The following steps will help you with that.
7] Repair Office
If despite trying all the above fixes, the problem still persists, some of the Office files might be corrupted. In such a case, an Online Office Repair may fix the problem.
8] Uninstall and reinstall Office
If the online repair fails to fix the problem, uninstall Microsoft Office and install it again. You can uninstall Microsoft Office from the Control Panel or from Windows 11/10 Settings. Read: How to fix high CPU usage by Excel.
Why is my Excel not allowing me to type?
There are several reasons why Excel is not allowing you to type, like incorrect Editing settings, conflicting apps or software, etc. Apart from that, problematic Add-ins also cause several issues in Microsoft Office applications. You can identify which Add-in is causing the problem by troubleshooting Excel in the Safe mode. Sometimes, the Hardware Graphics Acceleration or Protected view causes problems in Excel. You can change the Trust Center settings and see if this fixes the problem. If some Office files get corrupted due to some reason, you may experience different errors in different Office applications. Such a type of problem can be fixed by running an online repair.
How do I unlock my keyboard in Excel?
If you turn on Scroll Lock in Excel, you can move the entire sheet by using the arrow keys. To unlock your keyboard in Excel, turn off the Scroll Lock. Hope this helps. Read next: Fix Errors were detected while saving the Excel file.
