stop excel worksheet scrolling

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February 13, 2024

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Excel keeps scrolling right - can't stop it and edit document

I am trying to edit existing excel files and create new ones (no macros in existing ones) and as soon as I open file, it starts wildly scrolling right.

I can't get to A1 or even anywhere near my document to edit it.

Also, not sure if this is related but noticed today a couple of times that when I was trying to select drop-down menus on a couple of websites (eg to view by recommended or price etc) it wouldn't let me. This happened on at least a couple of sites but worked ok on one.

I tried to turn off scroll lock by right-clicking on status bar at bottom but nothing happened (it didn't even appear bottom left in caps when I turned it on).

Thanks for your help.

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The wireless mouse is the cause. You will have to change the batteries, however, don't just change the batteries, unplug the dongle> For some reason, unplugging the dongle to have the computer resee the mouse while changing the batteries will fix the issue.

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Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix

You'll be scrolling freely in no time flat

Author avatar

Are you having problems scrolling through Excel spreadsheets with your mouse, touchpad, or keyboard arrow keys? Does the issue affect all or specific sheets in your workbook? Is the scroll bar missing in your worksheets?

This tutorial covers several troubleshooting fixes for scrolling-related malfunctions in Excel on Windows and Mac computers.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 1

1. Unfreeze Panes

The first row or column of your spreadsheet is likely frozen if it’s stationary when you scroll. Follow the steps below to release frozen panes in your worksheet.

Unfreeze Excel Panes in Windows

  • Open Excel’s View tab.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 2

  • Open the “Freeze Panes” drop-down menu and select Unfreeze Panes .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 3

Scroll down the spreadsheet with your mouse wheel or touchpad and check if the “Unfreeze Panes” feature fixed the issue.

Unfreeze Excel Panes in macOS

Open Excel’s View tab, select the Window drop-down menu, and choose Unfreeze Panes .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 4

2. Re-Enable the Scroll Bar

Spreadsheets in Excel typically have a horizontal and vertical scroll bar for easy navigation. If the scroll bars are missing in your spreadsheet, follow the steps below to enable them. If the scroll bars are frozen or don’t work, re-enabling them might fix the issue.

  • Open Excel’s File tab.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 5

  • Select More on the sidebar and select Options .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 6

  • Select Advanced on the sidebar and scroll to the “Display options for this workbook” section. Select the checkboxes next to Show horizontal scroll bar and Show vertical scroll bar .
  • Select OK to save the changes and exit the “Excel Options” window.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 7

3. Disable Scroll Lock

Turning on Scroll Lock disables your computer’s arrow keys. If you can’t scroll Excel sheets using the arrow keys , disable Scroll Lock and try again.

Disable Excel’s Built-In Scroll Lock

  • Right-click the status bar at the bottom of your worksheet.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 8

  • If there’s a checkmark next to Scroll Lock, select it to disable the feature.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 9

Disable Scroll Lock on Your Keyboard

Look for a “Scroll Lock” ( or “ScrLk”) key or indicator light on your keyboard. If the key or indicator is lit, press the Scroll Lock key to turn off the feature and enable your arrow keys.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 10

Disable Scroll Lock via On-Screen Keyboard

You can also disable Scroll Lock through your computer’s on-screen keyboard.

Use the Windows key + Ctrl + O keyboard shortcut to turn on Windows On-Screen keyboard .

Alternatively, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and toggle on the On-screen keyboard .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 11

In Windows 10, go to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and toggle on Use the On-Screen Keyboard .

Scroll Lock is active if the “ScrLk” key has a blue background. Deselect the ScrLk key to turn off Scroll Lock. You should now be able to scroll your Excel spreadsheet using the arrow keys.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 12

4. Repair the Excel File

Not closing Excel correctly or shutting down your computer while Excel’s in use can corrupt your workbook. If you can’t scroll a worksheet after restarting Excel or your computer, repair the Excel file and try again.

Note: We recommend creating a backup copy of the Excel file before performing a repair.

  • Open the Microsoft Excel File menu.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 13

  • Select Browse in the “Other locations” category.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 14

  • Choose the file and select the down arrow icon next to the “Open” button.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 15

  • Select Open and Repair .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 16

  • Select Repair to continue.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 17

Wait for Excel to perform validation checks for potential corruption. A dialog box displaying the file repair result should pop up when the operation’s complete.

  • Select Close and check if you can now scroll the sheets in the Excel workbook.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 18

5. Open Excel in Safe Mode

Corrupt or buggy add-ins can cause Microsoft Office applications to malfunction. Open Excel in safe mode if you suspect a bad or recently installed add-in is responsible for the scrolling issue. Save the document you’re working on, force quit Excel, and reopen the app in Safe Mode.

Note: Microsoft Excel for macOS doesn’t have the Safe Mode feature.

On Windows computers, open the Task Manager , select Microsoft Excel and select End task on the top menu.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 19

Press and hold the Ctrl key and select the Excel app icon. Keep holding the Ctrl key while Excel boots. Select Yes on the pop-up asking if you want to open Excel in Safe Mode.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 20

You can also open Excel in Safe Mode through the Windows Run box.

Press Windows key + R , type or paste excel /safe in the dialog box, and select OK .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 21

If you can scroll worksheet(s) in Safe Mode, disable all installed add-ins, and restart Excel. Re-enable the add-ins one after another and check which one prevents you from scrolling worksheets in Excel.

How to Enable and Disable Excel Add-Ins

  • Open Excel and select File on the Ribbon tab.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 22

  • Select More on the sidebar and choose Options .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 23

  • Open the Add-ins tab, choose Excel Add-ins in the “Manage” drop-down menu, and select Go .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 24

  • Deselect the add-in you want to disable and select OK . To enable or activate an add-in, check the box next to the add-in, and select OK .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 25

6. Disable “Zoom on Roll with IntelliMouse”

Moving the wheel on a physical mouse scrolls an Excel worksheet vertically. With a Microsoft-branded mouse or IntelliMouse , Excel zooms your worksheet instead.

Follow the steps below to stop Excel from zooming worksheets when moving the scroll wheel on an IntelliMouse.

  • Open Excel’s File menu, select More on the sidebar, and choose Options .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 26

  • Open the Advanced tab, uncheck Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse , and select OK .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 27

7. Repair the Excel Application

Microsoft has a repair tool that diagnoses and fixes file corruption and other issues with Office applications in Windows. Save your files, close Excel, and follow the steps below to run the Office repair tool.

  • Open the Control Panel and select Uninstall a program in the “Programs” category.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 28

  • Select Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 and select Change on the top menu.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 29

  • Select Yes on the “User Account Control” prompt.
  • Choose Quick Repair and select the Repair button.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 30

  • Select the Repair button again to start the repair operation.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 31

Reopen Excel after the repair and check if your worksheets are now scrollable. Connect your computer to the internet and run an online repair (see step #4) if you still can’t scroll your Excel worksheets.

8. Update Microsoft Excel

Installing Office updates can fix issues with Microsoft Excel and other Office applications.

  • Open Excel’s File menu and select Account on the sidebar.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 32

  • Open the Update Options drop-down menu and select Update Now .

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 33

  • Excel will download the latest version of the app in the background. Select Continue to install the downloaded updates.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 34

  • Close the update window and reopen Excel when you get a success message.

Can’t Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix image 35

If you use a MacBook, update Excel from the App Store or use the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool .

Scroll Through Your Sheets

Reboot your computer, update its operating system, reinstall Excel, or contact Microsoft Office 365 Support if the issue persists.

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Sodiq has written thousands of tutorials, guides, and explainers over the past 4 years to help people solve problems with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices. He also enjoys reviewing consumer tech products (smartphones, smart home devices, accessories, etc.) and binge-watching comedy series in his spare time. Read Sodiq's Full Bio

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

Contextures Blog

Excel tips and tutorials

Contextures Blog

Prevent Scrolling on Excel Worksheet

Prevent Scrolling on Excel Worksheet

Even if a worksheet is protected, you are able to scroll in any direction, and see what is on the sheet. To prevent scrolling on Excel worksheet, change the ScrollArea property for the worksheet, either manually or with a macro.

Not a Security Feature

Like other Excel protection settings, this is just a deterrent, or a navigation aid, rather than a security feature. Don’t depend on the ScrollArea setting to guard your worksheet!

NOTE : The Scroll Area has to be set each time the workbook opens. To automate this, use a macro that runs when the workbook opens. There is sample code below.

Set the Scroll Area Manually

To see how the Scroll Area setting works, you can enter the range address manually.

To manually set the Scroll Area:

  • On the Ribbon, click the Developer tab, and click Properties

scrollarea01

  • In the Properties window, enter a range address in the ScrollArea property box

scrollarea02

  • Click on the worksheet, and you will be restricted to clicking and scrolling in the Scroll Area.

To manually clear the Scroll Area:

  • In the Properties window, delete the address in the ScrollArea property box
  • Click on the worksheet, and you will be able to click and scroll freely (assuming that the sheet is not protected).

Set Scroll Areas With a Macro

The Scroll Area settings are cleared when you close the workbook, and you have to set them again, each time the file opens. You can use a macro to set them, as part of the Workbook_Open procedure.

Copy this macro to a regular module in your workbook. It will set the Scroll area for each worksheet in the file, based on the Used Range on that sheet.

Add the macro name to the Worksheet_Open procedure in the ThisWorkbook module.

scrollarea03

Now, the ScrollArea settings will be added each time the file opens, if you enable macros.

Download the Sample File

To see the code and test worksheets, you can download my sample file. Go to the Worksheet Tips page on my Contextures site, and look for the Download Sample Files section.

Watch the Video

To see the steps for manually or programmatically setting the Scroll Area, watch this short video.

____________________

19 thoughts on “Prevent Scrolling on Excel Worksheet”

Great tip Debra. This is something I use all the time for any work done for clients. However, I don’t use the Used Area as the range on any sheets involving Data Entry As you say, it is not a security feature, but I like the fact that this option prevents the users from Inserting or Deleting any rows or columns, and thereby reduces the risk of such actions ruining any formulae that have been set. The range that I use limits the the columns to the used columns range, but allows for additional rows to the used range to allow for further data entry. As such, my event code is not set at the workbook level, but at the Sheet level on the Activate action. Private Sub Worksheet_Activate() Dim myRange As Range Dim addRows As Long addRows = 200 Set myRange = UsedRange.Resize(addRows) Me.ScrollArea = myRange.Address End Sub I just change the value of addRows to whatever would be appropriate for the particular sheet

Thanks Roger, that’s a great technique for data entry sheet! I guess your workbook Open code activates another sheet as a starting point, so you can ensure that the data entry sheet is activated by the user later.

Hi Deb Yes, you are absolutely correct, and I should have mentioned that. The Workbook Open event takes the user to a control sheet called Menu, which has buttons with macros attached to take them to other sheets. Each individual sheet has a button called Menu, which takes them back to the Menu sheet. Very often, the tabs themselves are hidden, so the user has to navigate under “my” control.

OUTSTANDING! This will be immediately useful in a project I’m working on now, and in a lot of others. I built a lot of apps in Excel and it’ll be great to have Excel behave more like an app, and that means users can’t scroll around into blank space. Thanks for this.

thanks Debra! been trying to figure out how to do this, but I was making it way more complicated than it needed to be. cheers!

Thanks Debra This is simple and great. I searched YouTube for this but ran into complicated formulas. This has helped me with test that I created using excel.

Thanks Louis!

I set the Scroll Area manually and it works until I close the file. Once I do that and open it again, the scroll area is going back to old times. Why doesn’t the range I enter stick?

Hi Rachel Setting the range manually only ever persists for that session, and is always lost on closing Excel. You would either need to set the range with the Worksheet Activate event, similar to what I posted earlier, or place some code in the ThisWorkbook module as a Workbook Open event setting Sheets(yoursheetname).ScrollArea=your range Substitute your values as appropriate S

Thanks Roger. The problem is that I do not see Workbook Open setting. Where can I find it?

@Rachel Hi Rachel When you go to the ThisWorkbook module in the VB Editor, at the top row of the Code window there are 2 dropdowns. Select the left and choose Workbook, then in the right hand drop down you will get a list of all of the Workbook |Events. Scroll down until you get to Open and select it and you will get Private Sub Workbook_Open() End Sub then enter within the sub the required code e.g Private Sub Workbook_Open() Sheets(“Sheet1”).ScrollArea = “A1:M1000” End Sub Change the sheet name and the range to suit your requirement.

Hi, That last script has worked perfectly for one of my worksheets, but how do I make it work when I have multiple sheets with different areas? Thanks Lissa

Hi Lissa Take a look back at the very first comment where I show the use of the Worksheet Activate event to set the scroll area. Then, you can make the area different for each sheet, and as you activate the sheet, the scroll area changes to whatever you have decided is appropriate. If required on some sheets, you can set the scroll area to be null. “” to remove. The scroll area.

Hi, am trying to use the code Sheets(“Sheet1”).ScrollArea = “A1:U28” but it dsnt work. Followed the instructions given by you but no luck..Please help

Hi Where are you placing this code? Is it somwhere where you know it definitely gets run? If you are really stuck, send me a copy of your workbook roger at technology4u dot co dot uk Replace the at and dot to make a valid email address

Hi Roger, Thank you so much for the prompt reply on your blog. The code now works fine..I have multiple worksheets and I applied this code on the index sheet. For other sheets also i need similar feature.. can you please help

Hi, I have index page from which i want to access other sheets in the workbook. Hyperlinks are all given from the index page and i also want to hide the other sheets from the index page. How do i do this? When a specific link is clicked, it should take the user to the related sheet. Please help. Priya

Hi Priya The simplest way, would just be to Hide Tabs. File > Options > Advanced > in the Display section, uncheck Show Sheet tabs. Then, navigation will only be able to take place via your hyperlinks. Or, via VBA code the line would be ActiveWindow.DisplayWorkbookTabs = False

Okay, this is fantastic! I know it’s been a few years since the last post but if you’re (Deb or Roger) still around, I have a question. I copied the code in my workbook as follows:

Sub SetAllScrollAreas() Dim ws As Worksheet For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets ws.ScrollArea = ws.UsedRange.Address Next ws End Sub

I have approximately 15 worksheets in my workbook and this works great for about half of them. The others are all allowing me to scroll anywhere from 10-50 rows past the last UsedRange and I can’t figure out why??? Any help/ideas much appreciated.

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  • Ablebits blog

How to turn off Scroll Lock in Excel

Svetlana Cheusheva

Just imagine this. You are working on a spreadsheet normally when all of a sudden you notice that you cannot move from cell to cell - instead of getting to the next cell, the arrow keys scroll the whole worksheet. Don't panic, your Excel is not broken. You have just accidentally turned Scroll Lock on, and this can be easily fixed.

What is Scroll Lock in Excel?

Scroll Lock is the feature that controls the behavior of the arrow keys in Excel.

Usually, when the Scroll Lock is disabled , arrow keys move you between individual cells in any direction: up, down, left or right.

How to determine that Scroll Lock is enabled

Excel status bar shows whether Scroll Lock is enabled.

Note. The Excel status bar only displays the Scroll Lock status, but does not control it.

How to turn off Scroll Lock in Excel for Windows

Much like Num Lock and Caps Lock, the Scroll Lock feature is a toggle, meaning it can be turned on and off by pressing the Scroll Lock key.

Disable scroll lock in Excel using the keyboard

Scroll Lock key

Turn off Scroll Lock on Dell laptops

Toggle scroll lock on hp and lenovo laptops, remove scroll lock in excel using on-screen keyboard.

If you don't have the Scroll Lock key and none of the above mentioned key combinations work for you, you can "unlock" Scroll Lock in Excel by using the on-screen keyboard.

The fastest way to turn off Screen Lock in Excel is this:

  • Click the Windows button and start typing " on-screen keyboard " in the search box. Usually, it is sufficient to type the first two characters for the On-Screen Keyboard app to appear at the top of the search results.

Opening the On-Screen Keyboard app

  • The virtual keyboard will show up, and you click the ScrLk key to remove Scroll Lock.

Turn off Scroll Lock in Excel by using a virtual keyboard.

Alternatively, you can open the virtual keyboard in the following ways:

On Windows 10

On windows 8.1, on windows 7.

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Ease of Access > On-Screen Keyboard .

Scroll Lock in Excel for Mac

Unlike Excel for Windows, Excel for Mac does not show Scroll Lock in the status bar. So, how can you know that Scroll Lock is on? Press any arrow key and watch the address in the name box. If the address does not change and the arrow key scrolls the whole worksheet, it's safe to assume that Scroll Lock is enabled.

How to remove Scroll Lock in Excel for Mac

Disable Scroll Lock in Excel for Mac.

If F14 exists on your keyboard, but there is no Fn key, use the Shift + F14 shortcut to toggle the Scroll Lock on or off.

Depending on your settings, you may need to press the CONTROL or OPTION or COMMAND (⌘) key instead of the SHIFT key.

That's how you turn off Scroll Lock in Excel. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!

You may also be interested in

  • How to use Solver in Excel with examples
  • How to align text in Excel
  • How to split screen in Excel vertically or horizontally
  • How to redo in Excel
  • Excel calculations: automatic, manual, iterative

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141 comments

stop excel worksheet scrolling

In my case unfreeze pane did the trick. View / Freeze panes / Unfreeze pane.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thanks for sharing information. It is really helpful. :)

stop excel worksheet scrolling

It's really Cool!!! Thanks for your support, keep it up.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you for this useful piece of information. Also admire your accuracy for knowing the shortcuts for different laptops.

Fn + S, really works, thanks!

Tray Fn+K for Lenovo. It worked for me

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you so much for this clear and concise explanation, Svetlana - this was driving me crazy!

Frank Schuffelen,

Thanks a lot Fn+C has worked for my Lenovo.

My screen is still going to the right - I have a Lenovo laptop - I can't work out what I need to do. Have tried all the advice listed above but it is still doing it - I can't do any work - can anyone offer any more suggestions please?

stop excel worksheet scrolling

I discovered the same annoying problem on my Lenovo Yoga laptop, which doesn’t have a Scroll Lock key. On my Lenovo laptop, Fn+C is what causes the problem and also turns it off again. I often use CTRL+C to copy and paste, but sometimes I accidentally press Fn+C instead (the Fn key is right next to the CTRL key). So, it appears that for DELL laptops, it’s Fn+S, but for Lenovo (at least my Lenovo laptop), Fn+C is the culprit!

As it’s Fn+S for Dell, and appears to be Fn+C for Lenovo, any other users with this problem may try pressing Fn + some other key instead of Fn+S or Fn+C, which should fix their problem if and when they get the right key sequence. All that because some laptop manufacturers decided to get rid of the Scroll Lock key. Those manufacturers should make their users aware of the substitute key sequence to turn Scroll Lock on or off.

Kindest Regards, Frank Schuffelen

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Has been looking for this for Dell laptop, couldn't find any helpful info until this. Fn + S works perfectly! Thanks a lot!!

Thanks a lot I'm very grateful

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you so much. Very easy to understand and very very helpful.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you so much for this extremely simple and helpful tip!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you!! Dell was 0 help on this.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you so much

Thank you for the awesome tip, it was a great help in a dire need.

It worked!!! thanks

stop excel worksheet scrolling

done. thanks buddy

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you! on-screen keyboard worked!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Nothing helps! Nothing!! Excel sheet has activecell continuously scrolling to the right - no matter what I do to correct it.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Same for me
 I have tried everything and it continuously scrolls to the right
 Please help!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

So easy and helpful. Lots of thanks for your instruction.

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Scroll trouble in Excel (scrolling beyond your data)

GaĆĄper kamenĆĄek.

  • Excel Facts
  • February 17, 2015
  • 31 Comments

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Sometimes in Excel, people insert data in places where they weren’t supposed to. And even if they remove any trace of their wayward journey, a scroll bar remembers it. I call this Scroll Trouble in Excel. This post will show you how to make Excel “reset” the Scroll Bar in three different ways.

If you like learning from Video more that you do from Blog Posts, here is a link to a video on my YouTube channel teaching you basically the same thing: https://bit.ly/3wOno82

Just for reference, this is what we are talking about.

We have Data in Cells A1:A100. At this point the vertical Scroll Bar goes from row 1 to row 100.

Scroll trouble in Excel

Now someone decides to put something non trivial (something that includes some formatting like a date or currency) into cell A200. And it’s not a shock that at this point, the vertical Scroll Bar goes all the way to row 200. All as it should be so far.

Scroll trouble in Excel

But then you delete this entry and Save the file. One might expect for the scroll bar to go back to row 100 as the bottom line, but it does not. Now we have Scroll Trouble in Excel.

Scroll trouble in Excel

Now here’s a famous saying. This is a feature ! Excel thinks that since you have taken the time to format cell A200 that cell must be important to you and you are just waiting to input some data into it and therefore it still gives you the ability to move swiftly to it by using the scroll bar. But our problem is that cell A200 has no value for us and we would like for the scroll bar to only go from the first row to the last row with data (in this case row 100).

Here is how you can get rid of Scroll Trouble in Excel in three different ways.

Method 1: Hiding Rows or Columns (not the best way)

Whereas this is not an ideal solution, it does provide you with the desired result. What you do is you select all the Rows bellow your data (or Columns to the right of your data, depending on which Scroll Bar you wish to adjust), Right Click and select Hide .

Scroll trouble in Excel

Since this will hide all the rows from the hundredth down, it will therefore adjust the Scroll bar which now does stop at row 100.

Scroll trouble in Excel

But just to be clear, this means that every time you wish to add data, you would have to unhide the rows you need and then add data which can be quite time consuming so in those cases, choose one of the following ways to get a desired result.

Method 2: Truly deleting the data (the best way)

Now in this case, we will truly deal with the root of the problem. Removing the invisible data that still resides in cell A200. It’s very important that you understand that Delete key only deletes the cell content, it does not remove the cell format. To do that you must delete that cell! The best way to do that is to select the first row bellow the data and down to the last row. After selecting all the rows that don’t contain data press Ctrl + – (so Control and minus). This will delete those rows and any formatted cells that lurked in the depth bellow the data :). But still the Scroll Bar will remain as it was until you save that file! And right after you do, you get what you want

Scroll trouble in Excel

I hope that you noticed a distinction to the previous method where here you still have rows bellow 100 visible and ready to go!

Method 3: Using the VBA editor or VBA code

It’s actually two separate methods. The first one only requires you to use the VBA editor. To get there either press Alt + F11 or go to DEVELOPER/Visual Basic

Scroll trouble in Excel

In the VBA Editor window choose the Excel Sheet where the Scroll Bar has stopped cooperating with you and in the Properties Window (if you can’t see it, choose View/Properties Window or press F4) adjust the ScrollArea Property to the desired value (in this sample that is A1:A100 (the dollar signs will be added automatically)).

Scroll trouble in Excel

Something very interesting will happen then. The Scroll Bar will not adjust as one might expect but if you try to scroll below row 100, you just can’t :). This can be quite useful in some situations but it is not as elegant and not as useful as Method 2 in this case.

Now the second way of doing this within Method 3 is actually doing the same thing but with VBA code.

So this piece of code will do the same as the first sample in Method 3.

Keep in mind, this is also a great way to protect your sheet or data beyond a certain point without actually using Sheet protection.

Here is a video version of this post:

Happy scrolling.

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Comments 31.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Instead of deleting the row to remove the formatting, you can simply use the Clear All feature on the ribbon. Select the cell(s) that has/had the data, select the Home tab, in the Editing group, select the drop arrow beside Clear and select Clear All. You will still need to save the file to get the scroll bar it reset.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Hi Larry! You are right and I also pointed out in the article that deleting the rows is not the best idea. However, Method 2 from the post does exactly what you suggest but far quicker. In effect, clearing those cells will do just the same as Ctrl + – but Ctrl + – is much quicker that going Home/Clear/Clear All. But again, although it’s not the same thing, it has the same effect as Method 2.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

this works for me, method 2 takes up some time to delete..just hold ctrl while pressing down and left to select all cells quickly

stop excel worksheet scrolling

I have been searching for a solution to this problem all night. Method 1 is not practical for me, and method 2 does not work (though I’ve tried about 100 variations of it at this point). I have a spreadsheet with almost 50,000 active rows, but the scroll bar is taking me down to over a million, so method three doesn’t help the situation much as the shrunken scroll bar still cannot move with any trace of accuracy. Any other ideas?

stop excel worksheet scrolling

I have had the same problem
.Method 3 would work I assume, but I’d much rather get the desired result from Method 2, which is not cooperating at all so far. Any ideas would be appreciated

Maybe it’s the Ctrl + – combination that’s failing you, try selecting the unused rows bellow the data and select Home/Delete/Delete Sheet Rows

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thanks for this tip. Worked as described!

forgotten to add: Method 2

Nice to hear that John
 So now you’re one step closer to eternal happiness 🙂

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Nice one Gasper – Method 2 worked a treat, thanks (I never tried the others)
.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you. I’ve been looking for a solution to this for a long time. Big like!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Now for a challenge
. I have a worksheet with 1500+ rows. The row size in height vary greatly. When I leave the row size alone, the scroll bar is an appropriate size and scrolling to the bottom takes me to my last row.

Once I resize each row to a height of “15”, the scroll bar expands exponentially. This results in the tiniest movement jumping 100’s of rows.

It seems that it represents the original “Volume” that the expanded row used to occupy. None of the Clear, Delete Rows, and Save tricks work at all.

Excel doesn’t adjust to the new size of the displayed data.

Hi, I tried to replay your scenario and it didn’t work as you described so I think It’s a file specific thing. Can you recreate it in a new workbook?

Yes i can create it in a new workbook. I have many examples of this all with different data.

Now I’m intrigued 🙂 Could you share one with me?

stop excel worksheet scrolling

It helped. Thank you.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you. I have sitting at my desk for hours trying to figure this out. your Method 2 work easily and perfectly for 2013.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

I am having a seperate issue entirely, but I can’t find any forums on the matter
.

I have a spreadsheet where about 30 rows are hidden for function. But if I wanted to unhide them, I go highlight one row (#35) and drag with finger held on mouse to upper limit row (#5) in preparation of right-clicking ==> unhide. Simple.

But once my mouse reaches the upper limit row excel rapidly scrolls the highlight down to row 165, I have no data beyond 125. Seems random, same problem across multiple computers, and it’s not even happening consistently (~50%).

Try writting 5:35 in the Name Box and see what that does for you


stop excel worksheet scrolling

Hi, i am currently able to apply scroll lock on running application but it disappears as soon as i close the excel sheet. When reopened same file, scrolling is as free as ever. Is there any way or VBA code that helps implementation of same scroll lock even after closing and reopening the file??

That would help me a lot.

Try method three of this post. Set a ScrollArea for the desired Worksheet. That is a property that will be retained with the workbook.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you so much! This has been driving me crazy! I’ve tried highlighting and deleting cells – but it must not have been a large enough range. The “Ctrl”+”-” saved the day
and my sanity!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

so cool! Thank you. I’ve been using Excel since my IBM working days and I had completely forgotten how to do this trick. Thanks for this post (and reminder for me). 🙂

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you
! I used method 2, just to add one quick tip, after selecting the first empty row, press CTRL + SHIFT + DOWN ARROW to select all the rows up to infinity and beyond
then press “CTRL and -” and save, and viola! The world makes sense again! 🙂

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thank you much – been struggling with this for years. I used Method 2

Glad to hear it Liz. Not that you’ve been struggling for years but that you will never struggle again 🙂

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Look for forgotten OBJECTS! The above solutions won’t delete them. Worked for me.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Thanks a lot! Your idea helped me!

Glad to hear that!

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Saved my sanity!! I used Method 2 and worked just fine after I saved my file. Thank you so much!!

My pleasure Gabriela.

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3 Ways to Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

Often there are times when a spreadsheet developer has the need to set the screen scroll lock area in Excel restricting where the user can scroll and has visibility. A perfect example would be Excel Dashboards.

****Scroll to the bottom for the video*****

Setting the screen scroll lock area improves the user experience and can make a dashboard or other spreadsheet application have more of that App like feel.

In this article, we will look at 3 ways to set the screen scroll lock area in Excel.  The first using Worksheet protection, the second using advanced excel options, and the third, using VBA.

Our Example

Our Dashboard contains information from cells A1 to U40 and we want to lock the screen so the user is unable to scroll beyond this point.

1.      Worksheet Protection to limit the screen scroll area

When you have protected a worksheet and workbook, the user retains the ability to scroll to the far side or bottom of the worksheet.  Worksheet or workbook protection does not lock the scroll unless you first ensure the cells outside the scroll area are locked and cannot be selected.  However, when you are creating a dashboard or other spreadsheet application, to improve the user experience, it is often a good idea to lock the scroll. This way the user cannot ‘lose’ the dashboard because they have scrolled too far, and it will give the dashboard a more app-like feel.

Start by selecting the first column of blank cells after the dashboard. 

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

Then press Ctrl + Shift + Right arrow to select all the cells to the right of the sheet.  Right-click and select Hide.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

This will hide all columns to the right of the dashboard and the user will no longer be able to scroll further to the right than the dashboard.

We can also lock the scroll down in the same way.  Select the first row below the dashboard and then press Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow to select all the rows to the bottom of the sheet.  Then right-click and select hide.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

The user will no longer be able to scroll past the area of the dashboard.

2.      Turning off Vertical and Horizontal scroll bars in Excel Options

 Using Excel advanced options, it is possible to remove the scroll bars from Excel workbooks.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

Open Excel options and go to Advanced. 

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

Scroll down to find Display options for this workbook

Untick Show horizontal scroll bar and Show vertical scroll bar and press ok.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

When you return to the workbook the scroll bar will no longer be visible.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

3. Locking the scroll with VBA

You can also use VBA to lock the scroll on a worksheet or dashboard.  If the developer tab is not available, we need to turn this on.  Go to File, then Options.

In options, select customize ribbon and ensure the developer box is ticked.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

With the developer tab now available, select Visual Basics Editor.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

In the visual basic’s editor, select new from the tab, and then select a new Module.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Then copy and paste the code below into the New module box.  Ensure that you have updated the code to lock the screen scroll to the cells you want to be locked.

Close the visual basics editor and return to the worksheet you wish to apply the scroll lock.

From the developer tab, select Macros.  This will open a box showing any macros available in the workbook.  Select the macro and press run.

Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

Once the macro has run, the user will no longer be able to scroll past the designated cells.

Using the developer tab, you can also confirm, remove, and set the scroll area from properties.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

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Excel Tutorial: How To Stop Excel From Scrolling To Infinity

Introduction.

Are you tired of Excel always scrolling to infinity, making it impossible to find your way back to where you started? You're not alone. This common problem can be a major frustration for anyone trying to navigate large spreadsheets or databases. In this Excel tutorial , we will show you how to put an end to this endless scrolling and improve your productivity in the process.

Key Takeaways

  • Freeze panes and split function are effective options for stopping infinite scrolling in Excel.
  • Utilizing "Page Layout" view and setting print area can provide advanced control over spreadsheet navigation.
  • Named ranges, filters, and sorting are valuable tools for optimizing large datasets and reducing excessive scrolling.
  • The "Go to" function and keyboard shortcuts can greatly improve navigation efficiency within the spreadsheet.
  • Implementing these techniques is crucial for efficient and productive usage of Excel.

Understanding the issue

When working with large sets of data in Excel, you may have encountered the frustrating issue of the spreadsheet scrolling to infinity. This can make it difficult to navigate and manipulate your data effectively. Understanding why this happens and what triggers it can help you prevent and resolve the problem.

Explanation of why Excel tends to scroll infinitely

  • Excel has a default setting to allow for infinite scrolling in both directions, which can be useful when working with large datasets. However, this can also cause the spreadsheet to scroll endlessly, making it challenging to locate specific cells or sections of the data.
  • When there are empty cells or a large number of rows and columns with data, Excel may interpret this as needing to provide infinite scrolling space, leading to the issue of scrolling to infinity.

Common triggers for the scrolling problem

  • Large amounts of data: When Excel encounters a significant amount of data, it may default to allowing for infinite scrolling, causing the spreadsheet to scroll endlessly.
  • Empty cells: If there are empty cells within the dataset, Excel may interpret this as a need for infinite scrolling space, leading to the scrolling problem.
  • High number of rows and columns: A high number of rows and columns with data can trigger the scrolling problem as Excel attempts to accommodate all the data within the spreadsheet.

Options for stopping the scrolling

When working with large spreadsheets in Excel, scrolling can become an endless and frustrating task. However, there are tools within Excel that can help you stop the scrolling and keep your data organized and easily accessible.

Freezing the top row

By freezing the top row in Excel, you can ensure that it remains visible as you scroll down the spreadsheet. This is helpful for keeping column headers or important data in view at all times.

Freezing the first column

In addition to freezing the top row, you can also freeze the first column of your spreadsheet. This is useful for keeping row labels or other important data visible as you navigate across the spreadsheet.

Freezing specific rows and columns

If you need to keep multiple rows and columns in place while scrolling, Excel allows you to freeze specific rows and columns to ensure they remain visible at all times.

Splitting the window horizontally

The split function in Excel allows you to divide the window into multiple panes, enabling you to view different areas of the spreadsheet simultaneously. This is helpful for comparing data or working with multiple sections of the spreadsheet at once.

Splitting the window vertically

In addition to splitting the window horizontally, you can also split it vertically to further customize your view of the spreadsheet. This can be particularly useful when working with wide datasets or when you need to compare data from different columns.

Advanced techniques for preventing infinite scrolling

When working with large datasets in Excel, it's important to prevent the frustration of infinite scrolling. Here are some advanced techniques to control the boundaries of your spreadsheet:

A. Utilizing the "Page Layout" view to see a preview of the printed page

One way to prevent infinite scrolling in Excel is to utilize the "Page Layout" view. This view allows you to see a preview of how the printed page will look, helping you to determine the boundaries of your spreadsheet.

B. Setting print area to control the boundaries of the spreadsheet

Another technique to prevent infinite scrolling is to set the print area in Excel. By doing this, you can control which part of the spreadsheet will be printed, effectively setting the boundaries and preventing the need for endless scrolling.

Tips for optimizing large spreadsheets

Large spreadsheets can be cumbersome to navigate, but with the right tools and techniques, you can make your Excel experience much more manageable. Here are some tips for optimizing large spreadsheets:

Create named ranges

One way to make it easier to navigate through large datasets in Excel is to create named ranges for different sections of your spreadsheet. This allows you to quickly jump to specific areas without having to scroll endlessly.

Use the Name Box

Once you have created named ranges, you can use the Name Box in Excel to quickly jump to any specific range by selecting it from the dropdown list. This can save you a lot of time and effort when working with large datasets.

Apply filters to your data

Filters allow you to easily hide or display specific rows of data based on certain criteria. By applying filters to your spreadsheet, you can quickly narrow down the data you need to see, reducing the need for excessive scrolling.

Use sorting to organize your data

Sorting your data based on different criteria can help you bring related information together and make it easier to find what you're looking for. This can greatly reduce the need for scrolling through large amounts of data.

Additional tools and shortcuts

When working with large spreadsheets in Excel, it can be frustrating to constantly scroll through the endless rows and columns. Luckily, there are additional tools and shortcuts that can help you navigate more efficiently.

The "Go to" function in Excel allows you to quickly navigate to a specific cell, range, or named area within your spreadsheet. This can be particularly useful when working with large datasets or when you need to jump to a specific section of your worksheet.

Another handy shortcut for navigating within your Excel spreadsheet is to use the "Ctrl" key in combination with the arrow keys on your keyboard. Pressing "Ctrl" + the up, down, left, or right arrow keys allows you to quickly move to the edge of your data or jump to the beginning or end of a row or column.

In conclusion, we have covered several methods to stop Excel from scrolling to infinity, including freezing panes, setting print area, and using the Ctrl + Backspace shortcut. By applying these techniques , you can ensure that your spreadsheet usage is more efficient and organized , saving you time and preventing frustration. So, next time you find yourself endlessly scrolling through your Excel sheet, remember these tips to improve your workflow .

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How to lock screen to prevent scrolling in Excel worksheet?

Normally, you can scroll the scroll bar to any direction of the worksheet, but, sometimes, you need to block scrolling and keep the worksheet screen up to a certain area-A1:M100, for instance. In Excel, how could you finish this job quickly and easily?

Lock worksheet screen to prevent scrolling with setting the properties manually

Lock worksheet screen to prevent scrolling with vba code, lock worksheet screen to prevent scrolling with kutools for excel by one click.

Actually, you can go to the Properties box to set the ScrollArea to your needed range address. Please do as follows:

1 . Go to the worksheet that you want to lock the screen area.

2. Then click Developer > Properties , in the Properties dialog box, enter the range address ( A1:M100 ) you need into the ScrollArea text box, see screenshot:

doc lock scrollbar 1

3 . Then close the Properties box, and now, you will be restricted to click or scroll to the cells beyond the range you are specified in the Properties dialog.

1. The cell address you enter must be a contiguous range.

2. If you want to clear the scroll area lock, you just need to delete the range address from the ScrollArea Properties box in above step 2.

3. This setting will be invalid when you open the workbook next time.

Tips : If the Developer tab is not displayed in your ribbon, you can view this How to show/display developer tab in Excel 2007/2010/2013 Ribbon? article to show it.

Here also is a simple code for you to solve this job, please do as follows:

1 . Hold down the ALT + F11 keys to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.

2 . Click Insert > Module , and paste the following code in the Module Window.

VBA code: Lock worksheet screen to prevent scrolling

3. Then press F5 key to run this code, and your scroll area of the specified sheet and range has been set successfully.

1. In the above code, Sheet1 is the worksheet and A1:M100 is the cells range that you want to only be used, you can change them to your need.

2. To cancel the lock of the worksheet screen, please apply following code:

VBA code: Cancel the lock of worksheet screen

If you have Kutools for Excel , with its Set Scroll Area utility, you can quickly lock and hide other direction beyond the selected range with only one click.

After installing Kutools for Excel , please do as follows:

1 . Select the range that you want to use only, and then click Kutools > Show & Hide > Set Scroll Area , see screenshot:

stop excel worksheet scrolling

2 . And only your selected cells can be used, others are hidden and disable to be viewed or edited. See screenshot:

doc lock scrollbar 3

Note: To display other cells, you should click Kutools > Show & Hide > Unhide All Ranges , see screenshot:

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Download and free trial Kutools for Excel Now !

Demo: Lock worksheet screen to prevent scrolling with Kutools for Excel by one click

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

How-To Geek

How to fix arrow key scrolling in excel.

You’re working in a worksheet in Excel and you press one of the arrow keys on your keyboard to move to the next cell.

You’re working in a worksheet in Excel and you press one of the arrow keys on your keyboard to move to the next cell. But instead of moving to the next cell, the whole worksheet moved. Don’t panic. There’s an easy fix for this.

When the arrow keys scroll through your entire spreadsheet rather than moving from cell to cell, the culprit of this behavior is the Scroll Lock key . Even if you don’t have a Scroll Lock key on your keyboard (most laptops today don’t), you may have pressed the “Fn” key available on most laptops with another key, rather than the “Ctrl” key. If you don’t know what you accidentally pressed, you can turn Scroll Lock off using the on-screen keyboard.

(Alternatively, if you like this behavior and accidentally turned it off, the below instructions will work for turning Scroll Lock back on, too.)

Related: How to Use the On-Screen Keyboard on Windows 7, 8, and 10

Notice on the above image that “Scroll Lock” displays in the status bar in Excel. If you’re experiencing the scrolling behavior and you don’t see Scroll Lock on the status bar, it’s not selected to display. You can customize the status bar to show when Scroll Lock is on .

To turn off Scroll Lock, activate the more advanced on-screen keyboard in the Ease of Access settings. A full on-screen keyboard displays.

01_on_screen_keyboard

If Scroll Lock is on, the “ScrLk” key on the right side of the on-screen keyboard displays in blue. Click the “ScrLk” key to turn off Scroll Lock.

02_scroll_lock_key_on

The key should no longer be blue when Scroll Lock is off.

03_scroll_lock_key_off

The Scroll Lock indicator on the status bar goes away when Scroll Lock is off. Again, make sure the “Scroll Lock” indicator is selected to display on the status bar so you can tell if it’s on or off.

04_scroll_lock_off_in_excel

If you’d rather not add the Scroll Lock indicator to the status bar, you could use the more advanced on-screen keyboard to check if Scroll Lock is on and easily turn it off.

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How to keep part of a spreadsheet always visible during navigation

I want to apologize in advance for asking something that's clearly available on the web. Unfortunately, I don't know the appropriate terminology though.

I'm looking to keep certain rows/columns always shown in excel. For example, in a worksheet with a lot of columns, I always want to see the name that exists on the far left. More importantly, how do I turn this off?

  • microsoft-excel

Excellll's user avatar

3 Answers 3

Use the Freeze Pane function, as illustrated here .

Excel has a nice feature called Freeze Panes that can solve such a problem. This feature allows you to keep information from scrolling off the screen when moving through a spreadsheet. As a matter of habit, I always freeze the second row. 
 To freeze columns and rows in Excel, From the View menu, verify you're using Normal . Click the row number just below the area you'd like to freeze. The whole row should highlight. Click the cell on that highlighted row to the right of the columns you would like to freeze. From the Window menu, select Freeze Panes .

You can also Unfreeze Panes using the dropdown box on the Freeze Panes button.

Community's user avatar

  • One confusing thing is that Freeze Panes behaves weirdly if you select the very top row: it splits the screen into four equal quarters. Selecting the second row is usually what you want. So that's something to watch out for, at least in Excel 2003. –  Scott McIntyre Jun 4, 2014 at 14:08

Additional Help

Freeze or Lock Rows and Columns

I found it Very Difficult to figure out how to do this for the Top row and for a couple of Columns. I did figure it out however,

First Split the panes

Excel 2010

and then move the large black Lines to the rows and columns that you want Static (or Fixed)

you can click Freeze panes > Freeze Panes and then click Split or you can just click Split . if you do anything else in the Freeze Panes and then Try to Split it will only Give you One Thick Black Line.

if your focus is in the are that is Static (Fixed/Locked) and try to scroll you will scroll only that pane.

I am using Excel 2010

Malachi's user avatar

Microsoft Excel for Mac

Ribbon > View > Freeze section:

Freeze

Freeze Panes Unfreeze Panes Freeze Top Row Freeze First Column

pkamb's user avatar

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

Excel Won’t Scroll? ALL 5 Fixes: Step-by-Step (2024)

Scrolling up and down the worksheet is just something we normally do especially when we’re working with a large data set in Excel.

But what do you do when you suddenly can’t seem to scroll in Excel? Even when you tried to scroll with your mouse, touchpad, or keyboard arrow keys, Excel just won’t scroll! đŸ˜±

Don’t panic! This problem can be easily fixed đŸ› ïž

In this tutorial, we’ll cover the reasons why Excel won’t scroll and the possible solutions you can do to get it fixed in no time 😀

Table of Contents

Fix #1: Unfreeze frozen panes

Fix #2: close any open dialog box, fix #3: restore missing scroll bars, fix #4: zoom on roll with intellimouse, fix #5: ctrl or shift key stuck.

The Freeze panes feature is a useful feature in Excel that allows you to lock specific rows and columns in your worksheet to make it visible while scrolling through the rest of your Excel worksheet.

While it may be such a useful Excel feature, it may be one of the reasons why Excel won’t scroll đŸ„¶

The solution to the problem is to unfreeze panes 😊

To unfreeze panes in Excel…

  • Click the View Tab.
  • Click the Freeze Panes button.

The drop-down will show you Freeze panes options.

  • Select the Unfreeze Panes option from the dropdown.

That’s it! 👍

Try to scroll down through the spreadsheet with your mouse wheel or touchpad and check if the Unfreeze Panes feature fixed the scrolling issue.

Still can’t scroll? Then maybe it’s not the frozen panes causing it. Don’t worry, we still have a lot more possible solutions to it 😊

Another thing to consider why Excel won’t scroll is that a dialog box is open.

Say, for example, there’s a Sort dialog box opened somewhere on your screen. When this happens, you can’t scroll in Excel.

The solution? Close any open dialog box or any open windows.

Once you close any open dialog box, you can return to your worksheet and scroll without any issues.

When you open Excel and you can’t see the scroll bars in the window, the Scroll bar options probably aren’t selected.

To restore your missing scroll bars, do the following steps: 👇

  • Go to File Tab.
  • Click Options from the left sidebar.
  • Click the Advanced Tab in the left side panel of Excel options.
  • Scroll down to find the Display options for this workbook.

Make sure to check the boxes for the ✅ Show horizontal scroll bar and ✅ Show vertical scroll bar.

  • Finally, click OK.

Ta-da! 😀 Your Excel vertical scroll bar and horizontal scroll bar are now displayed.

Try scrolling up or down your Excel worksheet to see if this fixed your scrolling issue.

We usually use the mouse scroll wheel to easily scroll up or down our screen.

But if your Microsoft IntelliMouse wheel zooms in 🔍 on a spreadsheet instead of scrolling down it, then that may be the reason why you can’t scroll in Excel.

What you need to do is to disable the Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse option đŸ–±ïž

  • Select the File tab in the Excel ribbon.
  • Click Options on the left sidebar of Excel.
  • Select the Advanced tab in the Excel options.
  • Under the Editing Options, deselect the Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse checkbox if selected.
  • Lastly, Click OK.

When you unchecked this option, you won’t be able to zoom in and out using the mouse wheel.

You can now use it to scroll up and down instead 😀

If you’re pressing the CTRL key while rolling your mouse wheel, you won’t be able to vertically scroll in Excel.

What this does is Zoom in and out in your Excel spreadsheet 🔍

If you want to scroll vertically with the mouse wheel, simply release the Ctrl key on your keyboard . Or make sure it isn’t stuck 👍

But maybe it’s not the Ctrl key that was stuck but the Shift key.

If the SHIFT key is stuck, the vertical scroll bar will definitely not work.

Again, simply release the SHIFT key from the stuck and you will be able to scroll vertically 😊

Bonus: What is the Scroll Lock key?

The Scroll lock key is toggling key on your keyboard, just like the Caps Lock and Num Lock. When you toggle Scroll lock, you enable Scroll Lock 🔒 and you won’t be able to move between cells using the arrow keys.

Disable the Scroll lock by pressing the Scroll lock key on your keyboard. Learn more about how to fix Scroll Lock here.

That’s it – Now what?

Problem solved! If you ever experience any scrolling issue while working in Excel, you now know how to fix it with the possible solutions we’ve covered above.

Just like the famous quote says: “The solution to a problem lies in the problem itself.” , there’s no Excel issue that Excel can’t solve 👍

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Excel Off The Grid

Resetting the scroll bar in Excel (5 solutions)

Have you ever experienced the issue where Excel’s scroll bars become tiny?  A small movement in the mouse can change the view by hundreds of rows or columns.  This makes the worksheet exceptionally difficult to navigate around.

The problem might reveal itself with an error message when trying to insert new rows or columns.

Error message shows Resetting Scrollbar required

In this post, we’ll look at why this happens and the different options for resetting the scroll bar.

Why does the tiny scroll bar occur?

Size of the used range, size and placement of worksheet objects, fixing problems caused by the used range, option 1: press esc & undo, option 2: clear all the unnecessary content & save, option 3: clear all the unnecessary content & reset used range, fixing problems caused by worksheet objects, option 4: identifying comments / notes, option 5: identifying charts, shapes and other objects, anything else.

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

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Two potential factors determine the size of the scroll bar:

Let’s look at each of these in detail.

The sizes of the horizontal and vertical scroll bars is normally determined by the dimensions of the used range.  This is the range of cells containing any values, formulas, formatting, etc.  For example, if a worksheet has only two changes (1) Cell A1 contains the letter “A” (2) Cell F10 is empty but has been formatted, then the used range is A1:F10.

Occasionally, the used range can become excessively large, which is nearly always caused by user error.  A user might accidentally stray into cells outside of the area needed then make some changes.

For example, press Ctrl + Down Arrow and suddenly the cell the bottom of the spreadsheet is in full view and selected.  Formatting that cell, or entering data into it by accident will result in that cell, and every cell above or to the left of it being in the used range.  This is an extremely easy mistake to make (I know, I’ve made it myself many times).  Once this has happened, the scroll bar needs to be tiny as the worksheet might now be 1,048,576 rows high or 16,384 columns wide.

The scroll bar size can also be determined by the bottom right position of a worksheet object.  That object could be a comment/notes box, a chart or shape, etc.  The scroll bars must be big enough to enable the user to view the full width or height of these objects.

Depending on the settings applied, inserting new rows or columns within the area occupied by the object, could result in that object’s size increasing.  Even if the objects are not visible, they still occupy a location on the worksheet, and the scroll bar size will be set accordingly.

The used range is the most likely cause of issues with the scroll bars, so we will tackle this first.

If you suddenly find yourself in parts of the worksheet you do not wish to populate with data, try this first:

  • Press the Escape key to exit data entry for any cell which is selected.
  • Keep pressing Ctrl + Z to undo any changes made to those cells.
  • Press Ctrl + Up Arrow or Ctrl + Left Arrow to get the selected cell back to a ‘normal location’.

You might be lucky; if Excel deems you’ve not changed the used range, the scroll bars will return to normal size (yay!!! whoop whoop).  If you’ve been unlucky (boo!!!), then move onto Option 2 below.

Looking at your spreadsheet, find the cell you believe should be the last used cell (remember to look in hidden rows and columns too).  Select the entire row below this cell.  Press Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow to select all the rows down to the bottom.  Click Home > Clear > Clear All

Home - Clear - Clear All from Ribbon

Select the entire column to the right of what should be your last used cell.  Press Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow to select all the columns to the right.  Then, once again, click Home > Clear > Clear All .

Now we have cleared all the unnecessary content, save the document (Ctrl + S) . The used range has now been reset, and the scroll bars should return back to a more usable size.

If that doesn’t work, repeat the same process, but delete the unnecessary rows by using Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Rows and Home > Delete > Delete Sheet Columns

Some users report that an additional step is required.

Follow the steps from Option 2 to clear the unnecessary content.  Open the Visual Basic Editor from the Developer tab (If you do not have the Developer tab visible, press Alt + F11).  Ensure the Immediate window is open by selecting View > Immediate Window (Ctrl + G).

Display Immediate window in Developer tab

In the Immediate Window, type the following and press Enter.

ActiveSheet.UsedRange in Immediate Window - Resetting the Scrollbar

The used range has been reset. When returning to Excel, the scroll bars should hopefully return to a more usable size.

While it is less likely that worksheet objects are the cause of scroll bar issues, if none of the above options work, then this might just be your problem.

Comment/note boxes are often identified in the worksheet with a small red triangle in the corner of the cell.  However, depending on your specific settings, they might not be visible at all.

From the ribbon, click File > Options .

File - Options to Open Advanced Window

The Excel Options window will open.  From the Advanced section, scroll to the Display sub-section and select Indicators and notes, and comments on hover .  In older versions of Excel, the description will be Comment and indicators .  Click OK to close the Excel Options window.

Display indicators and notes

All the comments/notes will now be visible.  Delete or resize any which are outside of the range you wish to use.

Usually, charts, shapes, and other objects on the face of the worksheet are visible.  Just by scrolling around, we could identify if these are affecting the scroll bars.  However, these objects can be made invisible; therefore, they impact scroll bars but can’t be seen.

To solve this, click Home > Find & Select > Selection Pane …

Display Selection Pane

The selection pane will open with all the worksheet objects are listed.  The eye icon with a line through indicates the item is not visible.

Selection window - hidden chart

Make all items visible.  It should now be possible to find any objects affecting the scroll bars; delete or resize them as required.

This list of options is not exhaustive; they are just solutions that I know about.  If you know of, or identify any others, please share in the comments.  Hopefully, we can all learn together and ensure that nobody needs to suffer from this problem going forwards.

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34 thoughts on “Resetting the scroll bar in Excel (5 solutions)”

Great stuff Mark. You are a lifesaver!

Fantastic guide for detective work. In my case, it was invisible comments very far down in the sheet, so I had to go through every step. No idea how they got there, but it’s a very old worksheet with over 12,000 rows. Problem solved. Thank you!

The other option is to copy and paste your content (not the whole worksheet) into a new tab.

That’s pretty much what we want to avoid. Depending on how complex your spreadsheet that could take a long time to rebuild all the cell links and references.

This was so helpful–I was going absolutely insane.

Option 3 worked like a charm. Thank you!

Yes, It’s true . . . . . . simple and just like a charm. Thank you . . . .

Thanks great information!

My issue ended up being in my VBA. I didn’t restrict my column range. Once I corrected that my scroll bar was correct.

I can’t be sure exactly which solution cured my problem but a combination of clearing all formats in unused cells (I’m a sucker for a conditional format!), resetting the ranges of conditional formats and checking and adjusting the ranges my macros applied to seems to have – finally! – fixed the issue. Thanks so much for the comprehensive suggestions given here which served as a catalyst to try a few other things (most notably, the conditional formats and the macros). I know I’ve been guilty in the past of applying CF’s to entire columns simply through laziness. Lesson learned…….

Thank you so much!! Option 5 worked for me, it unveiled previously unknown boxes which were hidden.

Great news – those sneaky boxes, I wonder how they got there.

Thanks. I was giving up, but option 5 did it for me!

Yay!!! Good news 🙂

Lifesaver! Thank you!

The first few steps didn’t help – I think this was still happening due to additional rows I had already deleted a long time ago. But the VBA tip was exactly what was needed to finish the job. I’m now back to scrolling through 10k rows instead of 100k.

Still using Office 2010, in case anyone was wondering whether this works for the legacy versions, too.

Hello, This is a different subject matter but your assistance will be greatly appreciated. I know how to set the scroll area so I won’t fly down to row 1245. How do I save these changes. Whenever I close the workbook, the scroll range is deleted. Thank you

Hi Grishelda – are you saying that the scroll bar is reset, but then it’s not saved? And you have to keep resetting to scrollbar over and over? That’s a very odd situation.

‘Found a piece of text in one cell way down the sheet (don’t know how it got there). Tried all the techniques above except for the VBA coz I didn’t want to mess with something I’m unfamiliar with.

What solved the problem was when I changed the view to Page Break view and then back to Normal view. Quick and easy!

Thanks Eric – that’s good to know. I should at this into the post.

I had one sheet in a workbook on which the slider in vertical scroll bar filled the entire scroll bar. That sheet had a note and arrow to remind me of a particular step. Those were outside the print area. After seeing Option 4 I moved those objects inside the print area and the scroll bar corrected itself. Interesting that just for the heck of it I moved those items back OUTSIDE the print area and the scroll bar continues to display correctly.

Addition to my comment. After closing and reopening the workbook the scroll bar was again screwed up. Moving the objects inside the print area and clicking any cell again corrected the problem. Close and open and the problem is back. This is a workbook I rarely use which is the reason for the reminder. In the future I will simply remove the reminder when I use the workbook.

Exceptionally helpful after months of frustration. Problem solved. Thank you!

Thanks Scott, I’m glad it worked 🙂

Awesome fix, thanks heaps

Great news Nicola 🙂

Great!!!! Option 4 for me! I had notes sooooo down! I don’t know how!

This was really helpful, thanks! I used the “clear all” technique.

Yay!! Great news!

Good. You may want to add – to find notes on a very large spreadsheet – to find notes, in Review Menu, Find Next Note

Hi John – That’s a great addition. Thank you.

Nothing is working for me in this particular workbook 🙁

I just wanted to say thank you for your help. I was about to give up and start the document over, but you saved me, hhh.

It turned out to be option 4, a rouge comment from a colleague!

Thanks again

You’re welcome, glad I could help.

Wow – I had been searching different sites for a while and they all only had the first three options described. I actually needed option 4. Thanks!

Thanks for your time and knowledge!

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How to View Multiple Worksheets Side-by-Side in Excel

Having multiple workbooks or worksheets open side-by-side can eliminate the need to switch between different tabs or windows, making it more convenient to work on multiple tasks at once. Note that the process is a lot easier if you have multiple display screens or monitors tethered to your PC. However, you don’t need to get a dual-screen setup if you want to do a side-by-side comparison.

How_to_View_Multiple_Worksheets_Side by Side_in_Excel

Using the View tab on the Microsoft Excel Ribbon, you can view multiple worksheets on one screen at a go. Here’s how to do so:

How to View Two Worksheets in the Same Excel Workbook Side-by-Side

Here’s how to view two worksheets in the same workbook side-by-side without switching between sheet tabs:

Step 1: From your PC’s Start menu or Taskbar, click the Microsoft Excel app or workbook to open it.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

Step 2: On the Excel Ribbon, click the View tab.

how to split screen side by side in excel 1

Step 3: In the Window group of the View tab, click New Window. This will create a duplicate of your open workbook.

how to split screen side by side in excel 2

Step 4: Click the View tab again and within the Window group, click View Side by Side. This will place both workbooks side by side.

how to split screen side by side in excel 3

Step 5: In each workbook window, click the sheet that you want to compare.

how to split screen side by side in excel 4

How to View Two Worksheets in Different Excel Workbooks Side-by-Side

Here are the steps you should take to place worksheets from different workbooks side-by-side:

Step 1: Open the workbooks with the worksheets that you want to place side-by-side.

Step 3: Click the View tab and click View Side by Side within the Window group.

Step 4: If you have more than two workbooks open, Excel will launch the Compare Side by Side dialog box. Select the workbook you want to compare and click OK. This will place both workbooks side by side.

how to split screen side by side in excel 5

Step 5: Once done, simply click the sheet that you want to compare in each workbook window.

How to Enable Synchronous Scrolling to Scroll Through Two Excel Worksheets

When you have two worksheets open, you may want to scroll through both at the same time without having to navigate their respective bars. The Synchronous Scrolling feature on Microsoft Excel makes this possible. However, it only works when two workbooks are open and the View Side by Side option is enabled. Here’s how to enable synchronous scrolling in your Excel.

Step 1: On the Excel Ribbon, click the View tab.

Step 2: Click the View tab and click View Side by Side within the Window group. This will place both workbooks side by side.

Step 3: Click the View tab of one of the opened workbooks, and within the Window group, click Synchronous Scrolling.

how to split screen side by side in excel 6

How to Arrange the View of The Excel Workbooks

When you enable the View Side by Side option, Excel, by default, will place both worksheets in a Tiled view. However, you can change the view of your worksheets using the steps below:

Step 2: Click the View tab, and within the Window group, click Arrange All. This will launch the Arrange Window dialog box.

how to split screen side by side in excel 7

Step 3: From the following options, select how you want your Excel workbooks stacked:

  • Tiled: the windows are arranged as equally sized squares in the order you open them.
  • Horizontal: the windows are stacked one below another.
  • Vertical: the windows are placed next to each other.
  • Cascade: the windows overlap one another.

how to split screen side by side in excel 8

Step 4: If you have multiple worksheets in a workbook that you want to work with, tick the box beside ‘Windows of active workbook.’

how to split screen side by side in excel 9

Step 5: Click OK to save your changes.

how to split screen side by side in excel 10

Using Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare to Analyze Excel Versions

Placing Excel worksheets side by side for comparison requires a lot of manual tracking. It is also best used when the data changes being compared are minute. When comparing a large data set, you can use Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare to save some time and ensure accuracy.

Last updated on 01 February, 2024

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

stop excel worksheet scrolling

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

Maria Victoria

Maria is a Content Writer with a keen interest in Technology and Productivity Tools. Her articles can be found on sites such as Onlinetivity and Delesign. Outside of work, you can find her mini-blogging about her life on social media.

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stop excel worksheet scrolling

Move or scroll through a worksheet

There are different ways to scroll through a worksheet. You can use the arrow keys, the scroll bars, or the mouse to move between cells and to move quickly to different areas of the worksheet.

In Excel, you can take advantage of increased scroll speeds, easy scrolling to the end of ranges, and ScreenTips that let you know where you are in the worksheet. You can also use the mouse to scroll in dialog boxes that have drop-down lists with scroll bars.

Use the arrow keys to move through a worksheet

To move between cells on a worksheet, click any cell or use the arrow keys. When you move to a cell, it becomes the active cell.

Note:  When SCROLL LOCK is on, Scroll Lock is displayed on the status bar in Excel. Pressing an arrow key while SCROLL LOCK is on will scroll one row up or down or one column left or right. To use the arrow keys to move between cells, you must turn SCROLL LOCK off. To do that, press the Scroll Lock key (labeled as ScrLk) on your keyboard. If your keyboard doesn't include this key, you can turn off SCROLL LOCK by using the On-Screen Keyboard. To open the On-Screen Keyboard, click the Start button on your Windows desktop and type On-Screen Keyboard . To turn off SCROLL LOCK, click the ScrLk key, and then close the On-Screen Keyboard.

Use the scroll bars to move through a worksheet

If you do not see the scroll bars, do the following to display them:

Click File > Options .

Click Advanced , and then under Display options for this workbook , make sure that the Show horizontal scroll bar and the Show vertical scroll bar check boxes are selected, and then click OK .

The following table describes different ways for using the scroll bars to move through a worksheet.

When you use the scroll bars to move through a worksheet, Excel displays a ScreenTip to indicate row numbers or column letters (or numbers, if the R1C1 reference style is specified for the workbook) so that you know where you are in the worksheet.

The size of a scroll bar indicates the proportional amount of the used area of the sheet that is visible in the window. The position of a scroll bar indicates the relative location of the visible area within the worksheet.

Improved scrolling (Microsoft 365-only)

 To view all your data, you can scroll smoothly through a worksheet without snapping to the top-left cell in your display. Even if you stop scrolling partly through a row or column, Excel doesn’t advance any further, which is of particular benefit for large cells. These improvements work with a mouse, mouse wheel, touchpad, touch screen, or scroll bar drag.

By default, scrolling is based on the height of one Excel row. If you have a precision mouse or touchpad, you can scroll one pixel at a time. However, if your  Windows mouse option  is set to move one line of text for each click of the mouse wheel, it supersedes the Excel behavior.

Tip:  If you do need to snap to the top-left cell, use the arrow buttons on the scroll bar, or use the arrow keys on the keyboard to change your cell selection until you get the sheet positioned the way you want.

Scroll and zoom by using the mouse

Some mouse devices and other pointing devices, such as the Microsoft IntelliMouse pointing device, have built-in scrolling and zooming capabilities that you can use to move around and zoom in or out on your worksheet or chart sheet. You can also use the mouse to scroll in dialog boxes that have drop-down lists with scroll bars. For more information, see the instructions for your pointing device.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community  or get support in  Communities .

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COMMENTS

  1. Excel keeps scrolling right

    In reply to AnnetteGorospe's post on December 1, 2021. The wireless mouse is the cause. You will have to change the batteries, however, don't just change the batteries, unplug the dongle> For some reason, unplugging the dongle to have the computer resee the mouse while changing the batteries will fix the issue. 595 people found this reply helpful.

  2. How to Stop Excel from Scrolling to Infinity (7 Effective Methods)

    2. Use of VBA to Stop an Excel Sheet from Scrolling to Infinity You can also stop a worksheet from scrolling to infinity by using Excel VBA. Applying this method will also help you format any cells you want. Let's go through the steps below for a better understanding. Steps: First, go to Developer >> then select Visual Basic.

  3. Can't Scroll in Microsoft Excel? 8 Ways to Fix

    Moving the wheel on a physical mouse scrolls an Excel worksheet vertically. With a Microsoft-branded mouse or IntelliMouse, Excel zooms your worksheet instead. Follow the steps below to stop Excel from zooming worksheets when moving the scroll wheel on an IntelliMouse. Open Excel's File menu, select More on the sidebar, and choose Options.

  4. Prevent Scrolling on Excel Worksheet

    To manually set the Scroll Area: On the Ribbon, click the Developer tab, and click Properties. In the Properties window, enter a range address in the ScrollArea property box. Click on the worksheet, and you will be restricted to clicking and scrolling in the Scroll Area.

  5. Excel Tutorial: How To Stop Excel From Scrolling Right

    Select the row or column below or to the right of where you want the freezing to begin. 3. Navigate to the View tab on the Excel ribbon. 4. In the Window group, click on the Freeze Panes option. 5. From the dropdown menu, you can choose to freeze the top row, first column, or both, depending on your needs.

  6. Excel Tutorial: How To Stop Excel From Scrolling Too Far

    Step 1: Open your Excel spreadsheet and go to the "File" tab. Step 2: Select "Options" from the menu on the left-hand side. Step 3: In the Excel Options dialog box, click on "Advanced" in the left-hand panel. Step 4: Scroll down to the "Display" section and find the "Scroll row" and "Scroll column" options.

  7. How to Turn Scroll Lock Off (or On) in Microsoft Excel

    Open that keyboard by accessing the "Start" menu, searching for "On-Screen Keyboard", and selecting the app in the search results. When you see the virtual keyboard, to activate Scroll Lock, click the ScrLk button. It will turn blue indicating the lock is enabled. To deactivate the lock, click the same key again.

  8. Excel Tutorial: How To Stop Scrolling In Excel

    Simply go to the "File" menu, then click on "Options." In the Excel Options window, select "Advanced" from the left pane, and then scroll down to the "Display options for this workbook" section. Check the box next to "Show horizontal scroll bar" and "Show vertical scroll bar" to disable automatic scrolling.

  9. Scroll Lock in Excel

    What is Scroll Lock in Excel? Scroll Lock is the feature that controls the behavior of the arrow keys in Excel. Usually, when the Scroll Lock is disabled, arrow keys move you between individual cells in any direction: up, down, left or right.. However, when the Scroll Lock is enabled in Excel, arrow keys scroll the worksheet area: one row up and down or one column to the left or right.

  10. Scroll trouble in Excel (scrolling beyond your data)

    Method 1: Hiding Rows or Columns (not the best way) Whereas this is not an ideal solution, it does provide you with the desired result. What you do is you select all the Rows bellow your data (or Columns to the right of your data, depending on which Scroll Bar you wish to adjust), Right Click and select Hide.

  11. 3 Ways to Set Screen Scroll Lock Area in Excel

    Select the first row below the dashboard and then press Ctrl + Shift + Down arrow to select all the rows to the bottom of the sheet. Then right-click and select hide. The user will no longer be able to scroll past the area of the dashboard. 2. Turning off Vertical and Horizontal scroll bars in Excel Options.

  12. Excel Tutorial: How To Stop Excel From Scrolling To Infinity

    Freeze panes and split function are effective options for stopping infinite scrolling in Excel. Utilizing "Page Layout" view and setting print area can provide advanced control over spreadsheet navigation. Named ranges, filters, and sorting are valuable tools for optimizing large datasets and reducing excessive scrolling. The "Go to" function ...

  13. How to lock screen to prevent scrolling in Excel worksheet?

    Go to the worksheet that you want to lock the screen area. 2. Then click Developer > Properties, in the Properties dialog box, enter the range address ( A1:M100) you need into the ScrollArea text box, see screenshot: 3. Then close the Properties box, and now, you will be restricted to click or scroll to the cells beyond the range you are ...

  14. How to Fix Arrow Key Scrolling in Excel

    To turn off Scroll Lock, activate the more advanced on-screen keyboard in the Ease of Access settings. A full on-screen keyboard displays. If Scroll Lock is on, the "ScrLk" key on the right side of the on-screen keyboard displays in blue. Click the "ScrLk" key to turn off Scroll Lock. The key should no longer be blue when Scroll Lock is ...

  15. microsoft excel

    To freeze columns and rows in Excel, From the View menu, verify you're using Normal. Click the row number just below the area you'd like to freeze. The whole row should highlight. Click the cell on that highlighted row to the right of the columns you would like to freeze. From the Window menu, select Freeze Panes.

  16. How to Stop Excel from Jumping Cells When Scrolling (8 Easy ...

    To stop Excel from jumping cells when scrolling, you have to use the control panel. To do this we have to follow the following steps. 📌 Steps: First of all, go to Control Panel. Then, select Choose mouse settings. When the Mouse Properties window appears, then select Wheel. Then, enter 1 in The following number of lines at a time section.

  17. Excel Won't Scroll? ALL 5 Fixes: Step-by-Step (2024)

    Fix #5: CTRL or SHIFT key stuck. If you're pressing the CTRL key while rolling your mouse wheel, you won't be able to vertically scroll in Excel.. What this does is Zoom in and out in your Excel spreadsheet 🔍. If you want to scroll vertically with the mouse wheel, simply release the Ctrl key on your keyboard.Or make sure it isn't stuck 👍

  18. Resetting the scroll bar in Excel (5 solutions)

    Press Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow to select all the rows down to the bottom. Click Home > Clear > Clear All. Select the entire column to the right of what should be your last used cell. Press Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow to select all the columns to the right. Then, once again, click Home > Clear > Clear All.

  19. How to View Multiple Worksheets Side-by-Side in Excel

    Need to view multiple Excel workbooks or worksheets at once? Here's how you can view workbooks and worksheets side by side in Excel. ... Here's how to enable synchronous scrolling in your Excel ...

  20. Move or scroll through a worksheet

    Rotate the wheel forward or back. Scroll left or right in Windows. Press and hold CTRL+SHIFT and rotate the wheel forward or backward. Scroll through a worksheet with increased scroll speed. While scrolling, hold down the mouse at the farthest end of the screen for more than 10 seconds to increase the scrolling speed.