If keyboard shortcuts are not working in Excel, here is how you can troubleshoot the issue. Whether it is one particular or multiple keyboard shortcuts, you can follow the same set of solutions to get rid of this problem.
Before getting started, you need to make sure that all your keys are working. You can use these keyboard testing software to verify the keys.
Keyboard shortcuts not working in Excel
If keyboard shortcuts are not working in Excel, follow these tips to fix the issue:
- Check and change Macro shortcuts
- Turn off Sticky keys
- Turn off Transition navigation keys
- Remove add-ins
- Change the default input method
If required, you can use the On-Screen keyboard for now.
1] Check and change Macro shortcuts
It is the very first thing you need to check since you may have assigned the same keyboard shortcuts for different macros as well. Let’s say you have set Ctrl+V to run macro in Excel. Therefore, you cannot use the same traditional shortcut to paste something into your spreadsheet. In that case, you must change or remove the hotkey for that specific macro. To check and change Macro shortcuts, follow these steps:
- Open the Excel app on your computer.
- Go to the Developer tab.
- Click on the Macros option.
- Select a predefined macro from the list.
- Click the Options button.
- Select a new keyboard shortcut.
- Click the OK button.
2] Turn off Sticky keys
Many people often find it troublesome to press and hold multiple keys at a time, and this is where Sticky keys setting plays a vital role. However, the same setting could also cause the aforementioned problem in Excel. Therefore, it is better to turn off Sticky keys temporarily and check if it resolves the issue or not.
3] Turn off Transition navigation keys
Transition navigation keys help you execute different tasks using the same keyboard shortcut. Having said that, it could also create a problem with your keyboard shortcuts in Excel. Therefore, it could help if you turn off this setting. To turn off the Transition navigation keys, follow these steps:
- Open the Excel app.
- Click on the File menu.
- Select the Options.
- Switch to the Advanced tab.
- Head to the Lotus compatibility section.
- Remove the tick from the Transition navigation keys checkbox.
- Click the OK button.
4] Remove add-ins
At times, having countless add-ins could also cause the same problem. Although Application Add-ins and Document Related Add-ins do not create such a problem, you might find the issue after installing third-party add-ins. Therefore, it is suggested to remove the most recently installed add-ins one after one to check if it resolves your problem or not.
For that, you can right-click on the add-in icon and select the Remove Add-in option.
Click the Yes button on the confirmation window to get the job done.
5] Change default input method
Having an entirely different language (e.g., English alongside Spanish) set could also cause this problem in Excel. Therefore, you can switch to English and check if that does anything positive or not. To change the default input method, follow these steps:
- Press Win+I to open Windows Settings.
- Go to Time & language > Typing > Advanced keyboard settings.
- Expand the drop-down list.
- Select English (United States) – US option.
That’s all! Hope these solutions have fixed your issue.
Read: Keyboard Shortcuts not working in Word
How do I activate keyboard shortcuts in Excel?
There is nothing you need to do to activate keyboard shortcuts in Excel since all the predefined shortcuts are already enabled by default. However, if you want to perform something in automation, you can create a macro and assign a keyboard shortcut to it. In order to activate a macro using a keyboard shortcut, you can open the editing panel and click the Options button. Then, you can choose a keyboard shortcut as per your requirements.
Why do shortcut keys not work in Excel?
There could be numerous reasons why keyboard shortcuts are not working in Excel. From the Transition navigation keys setting to the assignment of keyboard shortcuts for macro, anything could be responsible for this error. However, you can go through the aforementioned solutions to get rid of this problem on Windows 11 and Windows 10 computers.
Read: Keyboard shortcuts and Hotkeys are not working in Windows.
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