Fixing Cursor and Cell Navigation in Excel That Is Locked or Cannot Be Moved With Arrow Keys
Translated by Arunika, InfiArtt's AI assistant, from the original article by Ridha Mutiara: Mengatasi Kursor dan Navigasi Sel di Excel yang Terkunci atau Tidak Dapat Digerakkan Dengan Tombol Panah. This article was translated with the help of AI and reviewed before publication. If you spot a translation error, please let us know. About AI use at InfiArtt
Applies To:
Windows 10 and Windows 11
Microsoft Excel (all versions: Office 2016, 2019, 2021, Office 365)
Prerequisites:
Has opened the Microsoft Excel application and a working document (spreadsheet)
Has a Keyboard (Internal/external) with a scroll lock key
Problem
When in an Excel worksheet, pressing the arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) on the keyboard does not move the focus or cursor between cells (for example, from A1 to A2). Instead, the entire screen or worksheet scrolls, or the cursor feels like it won't move at all.
For screen reader users (such as NVDA), this condition forces users to switch to Browse Mode to move between cells, or Focus Mode to be able to write in the focused cell again.
Resolution Steps
1
Find out where the scroll lock key is located. (Usually the scroll lock key is located in the top row, next to the PrintScreen/F12 key)
2
Press the button until the screen reader says: scroll lock off.
Verification
1. Return to the Microsoft Excel window.
2. Try pressing the arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right).
3. Expected result: The cursor or cell focus can now move between cells normally without having to use Browse Mode / Focus Mode on the screen reader.
Pitfalls
For NVDA users, if Scroll Lock is confirmed to be off but navigation issues persist, ensure NVDA is in focus mode (Focus Mode) in Excel/Spreadsheet to be able to navigate between cells.