Arrows Not Moving Cells In Excel [SOLVED]

Excel arrow moves page instead of cell

If it occurs that you are moving the portion of the page viewed instead of the cell selected in Microsoft Excel with using the keyboard arrow keys, do not panic – the issue is pretty simple and can be solved without the need to restart your computer or your Microsoft Excel program.

Like most issues in MS Excel, solving the Arrows Not Moving Cells In Excel is one of the simple MS Excel shortcuts and formulas that you can learn in a few steps and apply in different situations. Let’s see how to solve it – and why it even happens at all.

Open the On-Screen Keyboard, and uncheck the ScrLk (Screen Lock) key, and you're done ! You can then go back to your Excel marketing formulas as usual and switch from one to another using your keyboard arrow keys.

See a full walkthrough on how to lock the screen move while using keyboard arrow keys and get back to switching Excel current cell with the keys:

Usually, when you are in cell A1, and you press the keyboard arrow key right

You expect to end up with cell B1 selected :

If, instead, the screen display moved one cell right - still with cell A1 selected :

All you have to do is open Windows menu, enter keyboard in the search bar, and open the On-Screen Keyboard :

Here, with the Excel window open in foreground, the ScrLk key should be white, meaning selected :

Simply click on the ScrLk key to deselect it :

Go back to Excel, and pressing the right arrow key while having A1 cell selected should move the selection to cell B1

Excel not scrolling cells with arrow keys

This issue of excel arrows not moving cells happens when the screenlock option has been checked.

It leads to excel arrow keys move page not cell, pressing this key in excel change arrow key behavior.

If the arrow keys move screen not cell in excel, then simply open the virtual keyboard and change the screenlock key, and excel arrow keys not moving cells will be solved !

Excel scrolling instead of moving cells

When Excel is scrolling instead of moving cells, due to inadvertently activating the scroll lock option, there is only one way to deactivate it.

Activate the on screen keyboard and switch off the scroll lock option, by finding the desktop app in Windows search menu in the bottom left of the screen.

Then, simply deactivate the scroll lock option directly from the virtual keyboard.

What is the SCRLK key on keyboard for?

The SCRLK key on keyboard was originally added to computer keyboards in order to have a way to make the computer window scrolling using keyboard only, however it hasn’t as useful as it used to be, as it is possible to scroll with a mouse, or even with a finger on touchscreens. But that hasn’t always been the case

SCRLK key on keyboard: scroll in a window using keyboard arrows

Nowadays, if you press by mistake that key, or activate the function within a software, you will end up experience arrows not moving cells in Excel as the arrow keys will instead make you lock the scrolling function.

Arrows Not Moving Cells In Excel: solve it by deactivating the SCRLK key on keyboard

If you have activated that function by mistake, and end up having the arrows not moving cells in Excel then simply open the on screen keyboard, by looking for the keyboard in the Windows menu, and deactivate the option. If it is activated, the SCRLK key on keyboard should be highlighted and easily identifiable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel page moving instead of cells issue occur?

This issue with Excel arrows not moving cells occurs when the lock screen checkbox is checked. This causes the Excel arrow keys to move the page and not the cell, pressing this key in Excel changes the behavior of the arrow key.

Arrows Not Moving Cells In Excel [SOLVED]