Excel's Scroll Lock Feature Explained

Excel's Scroll Lock Feature Explained

If you're experiencing issues with the Scroll Lock feature in Excel, this article provides solutions to help you resolve the problem.

Scroll Lock Function in Excel

In Excel, the Scroll Lock key changes the behaviour of the arrow keys. When Scroll Lock is on, the arrow keys scroll the entire worksheet without moving the active cell. Conversely, when it is off, the arrow keys move the selection from cell to cell as expected.

Disabling Scroll Lock on Windows

To disable Scroll Lock on Windows, you can:

1. Press the Scroll Lock (ScrLk) key on your keyboard to toggle it off, if your keyboard has this key.

If your keyboard lacks a Scroll Lock key, you can use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK):

• Open the On-Screen Keyboard by pressing Windows + Ctrl + O on any Windows version (Windows 7, 8.1, or 10).
• Click the ScrLk (Scroll Lock) key on the on-screen keyboard to turn it off.

The Scroll Lock status is shown in Excel’s status bar at the bottom left; if enabled, it displays "Scroll Lock".

Additional Tips

• You can right-click Excel’s status bar and ensure “Scroll Lock” is checked to see the indicator.
• Disabling problematic Excel add-ins may also help if arrow keys misbehave due to other issues, but for Scroll Lock specifically, toggling the key or using the OSK is the main fix.

Disabling Scroll Lock on Windows 10, 8.1, and 7

• In Windows 10, to disable Scroll Lock, click Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, enable the On-Screen Keyboard, and use the ScrLk key on the On-Screen Keyboard.
• In Windows 8.1, to disable Scroll Lock, press Ctrl + C to open the Charms bar, go to Change PC Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, and use the On-Screen Keyboard.
• In Windows 7, to disable Scroll Lock, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Ease of Access, select On-Screen Keyboard, and press the ScrLk key on the On-Screen Keyboard.

Scroll Lock in Excel for Mac

In Excel for Mac, if Scroll Lock is enabled, using the arrow keys moves the entire worksheet rather than navigating between cells.

• To check if Scroll Lock is enabled, notice if using the arrow keys moves the entire worksheet rather than navigating between cells.
• As an alternative to disable Scroll Lock, use Fn + Shift + F12 if the F14 key is not available.
• When Scroll Lock is turned on, the arrow keys won't let you select individual cells, and you can use the mouse to click and select a cell.

Disabling Scroll Lock on Excel for Mac using the On-Screen Keyboard

• To disable Scroll Lock using the On-Screen Keyboard on Excel for Mac, go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Keyboard, enable Show Keyboard and Emoji viewers in menu bar, click the Keyboard Viewer icon and select Show Keyboard Viewer, and hold the Fn key and click F14 on the On-Screen Keyboard to toggle Scroll Lock off.

Read also:

• New study reveals that Language Models can execute complex assaults independent of human intervention
• Upgraded advisory from CISA and Microsoft on security weakness in Exchange Server
• Anticipations for Decreased Congestion in Bottroper South: Smarter Road Management Techniques
• Wanchain Facilitates Vechain's Growth in Decentralized Finance Across Different Blockchains