Excel can type in cell

This is going to be a trouble-shooting tutorial where we are going to focus on what to do if you can’t type into a cell in Excel (i.e., you type but don’t see anything getting typed in the cells).

An issue like this can be quite frustrating, especially if the work is important or urgent.

If you’ve run into a problem like this, this tutorial will help you diagnose the probable cause of the problem and how to rectify it step-by-step.

We are going to assume you have already tried restarting your computer and have checked if your keyboard is properly connected and working, but have still not been able to solve the issue.

Let us look at some common reasons for not being able to type in Excel.

Once you are able to trace the cause, it becomes easier to decide on the next steps to solve the problem.

Here are some possible reasons you can’t type in Excel, along with their respective solutions.

Your cells may have Font Color set to White/Text may be Invisible

If you type into a cell and see the cursor move but nothing appears in the cell, then it’s probably because your font color and cell background color are the same and so your text is basically camouflaged.

In such cases, you will also notice the text appearing in the formula bar, but not in the cells.

Solution: 

The solution to this problem is quite simple.

Just change the font color or background color!

Alternatively, you can remove all formatting from the cell by clicking on the Home tab and navigating to Cell Styles->Normal from the Styles group.

Alternatively, you can select the ‘Automatic’ font color from the Font group in the Home tab.

Also read: Can’t Insert a Row in Excel – How to Fix!

Your Num Lock may be Preventing You from Entering Numbers

If you’re trying to enter numbers from your num pad, and you find yourself unable to type into a cell, a possible cause might be that your num lock is turned off.

The num lock (or Number lock) is a toggle key on your keyboard that lets you control the use of the numeric keys in the num pad (the set of the numbers on the right side of your keyboard).

Notice that each number key in your num pad has two different functions.

For example, the number 7 doubles up as the Home key, while the number 8 doubles up as the Up arrow key.

When the num lock is off, you can use the num pad like a regular numeric pad.

However, when it is off, it locks the numbers, letting you use the other functions that the number keys are associated with.

Most keyboards have a small LED on top of the num lock, which lights up when the num lock is on. Check to see if the num lock LED is not on. If so, then it’s probably the reason you are unable to type numbers into your cell.

If your keyboard does not have an LED or any other indicator to show if the num lock is on, just try typing some text into the cell.

If you are able to type text but not numbers, it could indicate an issue with your num lock.

Solution: 

To turn the num lock on, simply press the Num lock button again.

This will cause the lock to toggle off and you can start typing numbers from the num pad again!

The Cells Could be Locked or Protected

If your worksheet is in ‘Protected’ mode, then all the cells of the sheet become read-only.

This usually happens when the author of the worksheet chooses to protect the contents of cells on the sheet from changes by unauthorized people.

To check if that’s the case, go to the Review tab. If you see a button that says ‘Unprotect Sheet’ and/or ‘Unprotect Workbook’, it means your sheet is in Protected mode.

Moreover, when you try to edit or type into any cell, you should see an alert that says ‘The chart or cell you are trying to change is on a protected sheet’.

Solution: 

You can disable protection by simply clicking on the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ and/or ‘Unprotect Workbook’ button.

If the sheet is protected with a password, then you might need to get it from the sheet’s author in order to disable protection.

The Cell May have Validation Rules Applied to It

Validation rules are usually applied to cells to allow certain specific values or types of values to be entered.

For example, the author might apply a validation rule to restrict a cell to only allow numeric values or values within a certain boundary.

When you try to enter a value into that cell that breaks the validation rule, you will usually not be allowed to enter it, and an error message appears.

Solution: 

The solution to this is to either enter a number that is in line with the validation rule, or to remove the validation rule from the cell altogether.

To remove the validation rule, select the problematic cell(s) and navigate to Data->Data Validation.

This will open the Data Validation dialog box from where you can see the validation rule(s) applied to your selected cell(s).

To remove the validation rule, simply click on the Clear All button. Then Click OK to close the dialog box.

Cell Values May be Hidden

Your cell might be set to ‘Hidden’ format, preventing your typed text from appearing in the cell when you press the return key after typing.

To check if your cell is set to the ‘Hidden’ format, right-click on it and select Format Cells.

Alternatively, you could select the problematic cell(s) and press the keyboard shortcut CTRL+1.

This will open the Format Cells dialog box. Select the Number tab and under the Category list, select Custom.

Check the input box under ‘Type’. If you see three semicolons (;;;) it indicates that the cell(s) have been formatted as hidden cells.

Solution: 

To unhide your cell values, simply remove the three semicolons from the Format Cells dialog box and click OK.

Certain Add-ins might be Preventing you from Typing

If you’ve recently installed a new add-in to Excel, it might be interfering with your current install, causing your Excel software to act up.

If none of the above-mentioned issues seem to be the cause, then this could be a probable reason for not being able to type in Excel.

To check if an add-in is causing your problem, try to re-open Excel in ‘Safe mode’.

Opening Excel in Safe mode disables all add-ins, leaving you with just the bare basics.

This helps you narrow down to the exact source of the problem, and is a widely used trouble-shooting method.

To open in Safe mode, follow the steps shown below:

1. Close the Excel Window
2. Press the Windows key+R shortcut to open the ‘Run’ box.
3. In the input box next to ‘Open’, type ‘Excel/safe’.

1. Click OK.

Microsoft Excel should now open in Safe mode. If you find your issue resolved now, it means one of your add-ins was causing the problem.

Solution: 

Once you know that an add-in is behind the problem, you can now attempt to narrow down to exactly which add-in it is and disable it. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to File->Options
2. From the Excel Options dialog box, select Add-ins
3. At the bottom of the box, you’ll find a dropdown next to ‘Manage’.

1. Select COM Add-ins from this dropdown list.

1. Click Go.
2. You should now see a list of installed add-ins.
3. Click any one of the checkboxes and click OK. This will make sure that only the checked add-in is active the next time you open Excel while all others are disabled.
4. Close and restart Excel.
5. Try typing something into a cell. If you see your problem resolved, it means your previously selected add-in was not causing the problem. Try activating another add-in. Repeat until you find exactly which add-in caused the issue.

Note: Make sure you close and restart Excel each time you activate an add-in.

In this tutorial, we discussed possible reasons you can’t type in Excel and showed you how to solve the problem in each case.

We hope we were able to help you successfully eliminate the problem and start typing in Excel again.

Other articles you may also like:

• Why does Excel Open on Startup (and How to Stop it)
• How to Remove Read-Only From Excel (6 Easy Fix)
• Why is Merge and Center Grayed Out?
• How to Open Excel File [xls, xlsx] Online (for FREE)
• How to Find out What Version of Excel You Have
• How to Set the Default Font in Excel (Windows and Mac)
• SPILL Error in Excel – How to Fix?
• Circular References in Excel – How to Find and Fix it!
• Excel Shortcuts Not Working – Possible Reasons + How to Fix?
• #NUM! Error in Excel – How to Fix it?

Some users are experiencing an issue with Excel. According to them, they are not able to type in any of the cells in an Excel spreadsheet. Also, there are no macros enabled and the Excel sheet or cells are not protected. If you are unable to type in Excel, you can refer to the solutions listed in this article to get rid of the problem.

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.

1. Check the Editing options setting
2. Troubleshoot Excel in Safe mode
3. Move files from the C directory to another location
4. Uninstall the recently installed software
5. Disable the Hardware Graphic Acceleration in Excel
6. Change the Trust Center settings
7. Repair Office
8. Uninstall and reinstall Office

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:

1. Open Excel file.
2. Go to “File > Options.”
3. Select Advanced from the left pane.
4. The “Allow editing directly in cells” checkbox should be enabled. If not, enable it and click OK.

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:

1. Save your spreadsheet and close Excel.
2. Open the Run command box (Win + R keys) and type excel /safe. After that click OK. This will launch Excel in the Safe mode.
3. After launching Excel in Safe mode, type something in cells. If you are able to type in the Safe mode, one of the Add-ins disabled in the Safe mode by default is the culprit. If you are unable to type in the Safe mode, one of the Add-ins enabled in the Safe mode is the culprit. Let’s see these two cases in detail.

Case 1: You are able to type in the Safe mode

1. In the Safe mode, go to “File > Options.”
2. Select Add-Ins from the left side.
3. Now, select COM Add-ins in the drop-down and click Go. After that, you will see all the Add-ins that are enabled in the Safe mode. Because you are able to type in the Safe mode, none of these Add-ins is causing the problem. Take a note of the Add-ins that are enabled in the Safe mode.
4. Close Excel in the Safe mode and open Excel in the normal mode.
5. Go to “File > Options > Add-Ins.” Select COM Add-ins in the drop-down and click Go.
6. Disable any of the enabled Add-ins and click OK. Do not disable the Add-ins that were enabled in the Safe mode.
7. After disabling an Add-in, restart Excel in normal mode and check if you are able to type. If yes, the Add-in that you have disabled recently was causing the problem. If not, repeat steps 5 to 7 to identify the problematic Add-in. Once you find it, consider removing it.

Case 2: You are unable to type in the Safe mode

1. In the Safe mode, go to “File > Options > Add-Ins.” Select COM Add-ins in the drop-down and click Go.
2. Disable any of the Add-ins and click OK.
3. Now, type something. If you are able to type, the Add-in that you have disabled recently was causing the problem. Remove that Add-in.
4. If you are unable to type, disable another Add-in in the Safe mode and then check again.

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.

1. First, close Excel.
2. Open the Run command box and type %appdata%MicrosoftExcel. Click OK. This will open the Excel folder in your C drive. It is a temporary location for unsaved files. Excel saves your files here temporarily so that they could be recovered in case Excel crashes or your system shuts down unexpectedly.
3. Move all the files to another location and make the Excel folder empty. After that, open Excel and check if the problem disappears. If this does not fix the issue, you can place all the files back in the Excel folder.

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 Utilities
• Abby 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:

1. Open Excel.
2. Go to “File > Options.”
3. Select the Advanced category on the left side.
4. Scroll down and locate the Display section.
5. Uncheck the Disable hardware graphics acceleration checkbox.
6. Click OK.

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.

1. Open Excel.
2. Go to “File > Options.” This will open the Excel Options window.
3. Select the Trust Center category from the left side and click on the Trust Center Settings button.
4. Now, select Protected View from the left side and uncheck all the options.
5. Select File Block Settings from the left pane and uncheck all the options.
6. Click OK to save the settings.

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.

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Formatting Cell

MS Excel Cell can hold different types of data like Numbers, Currency, Dates, etc. You can set the cell type in various ways as shown below −

• Right Click on the cell » Format cells » Number.
• Click on the Ribbon from the ribbon.

Various Cell Formats

Below are the various cell formats.

• General − This is the default cell format of Cell.

• Number − This displays cell as number with separator.

• Currency − This displays cell as currency i.e. with currency sign.

• Accounting − Similar to Currency, used for accounting purpose.

• Date − Various date formats are available under this like 17-09-2013, 17^th-Sep-2013, etc.

• Time − Various Time formats are available under this, like 1.30PM, 13.30, etc.

• Percentage − This displays cell as percentage with decimal places like 50.00%.

• Fraction − This displays cell as fraction like 1/4, 1/2 etc.

• Scientific − This displays cell as exponential like 5.6E+01.

• Text − This displays cell as normal text.

• Special − Special formats of cell like Zip code, Phone Number.

• Custom − You can use custom format by using this.

In Excel, it is often necessary to use when calculating values that are tied to symbols, the sign of a number, and the type.

The following functions are used for this:

• CHAR;
• TYPE;
• SIGN.

CHAR function makes it possible to get a character with its given code. The function is used to convert the numeric character codes that are received from other computers into characters of the given computer.

TYPE function determines the data types of the cell, returning the corresponding number.

SIGN function returns the sign of a number and returns the value 1 if it is positive, 0 if it is 0, and -1 if it is negative.



Examples of using the CHAR, TYPE and SIGN functions in excel formulas

Example 1. Given a table with character codes: from 65 — to 74:

It is necessary with the help of the CHAR to display the characters that correspond to these codes.

To do this, we enter into the cell B2 the following formula:

The function argument: Number is the character code.

As a result of the calculations we get:

How to use the CHAR in formulas in practice? For example, we need to display a text string in single quotes. For Excel, a single quote as the first character is a special character that converts any cell value to a text data type. Therefore, in the cell itself, the single quote as the first character is not displayed:

To solve this problem, we use the following formula with the function =CHAR(39)

It is also useful to use this function when you need to make a line break in an Excel cell as a formula. And for other similar tasks.

The value 39 in the function argument, you guessed it, is the character code of a single quote.



How to count the number of positive and negative numbers in Excel

Example 2. The table contains 3 numbers. Calculate which character has each number: positive (+), negative (-) or 0.

Let’s enter the data in the table of the form:

We introduce the formula in cell E2:

Argument: Number — any real numeric value.

By copying this formula down, we get:

First, we calculate the number of negative and positive numbers in the columns «Profit» and «SIGN»:

And now we summarize only positive or only negative numbers:

How to make a negative number positive and positive negative? It is very simple to multiply by -1:

You can even simplify the formula, simply put a subtraction operator sign — minus, before the cell reference:

But what if you need to make a number with any sign positive? Then you should use the ABS function. This function returns any number by module:

Now it is not difficult to guess how to make any number with a negative minus sign:

Or so:

Checking what types of cell input data in an Excel spreadsheet

Example 3. Using the TYPE function, display the type of data that is entered in the table:

TYPE function returns the code of the data types that can be entered into an Excel cell:

Data Value	Type Code
number	1
text	2
logical value	4
error value	16
array	64

We introduce the formula for the calculation in cell B2:

Argument: Value is any valid value.

As a result, we get:

Download examples functions CHAR SIGN TYPE in Excel

Thus, using the TYPE function, you can always check what the Excel cell actually contains. Note that the date is defined by the function as a number. For Excel, any date is a numeric value that corresponds to the number of days that have passed from January 01/01/1900, to the original date. Therefore, each date in Excel should be taken as a numeric data type displayed in the cell format — “Date”.