Why You Can’t Type in Excel – 6 Reasons and SolutionsExplained with Screenshots and How to Fix the Issue

Written By:
Adiste Mae
Reviewed By:
FundsNet Staff

This is a not-so-common issue that people face when working with Excel and have an essential job to finish.

In this article, we will provide a step-by-step solution on what you can do to solve this issue, assuming that you have already restarted your computer and checked your keyboard connection.

Possible Reasons You Can’t Type in Excel

Here are the most common reasons you are unable to type in Excel and their solutions:

The font color of the cell is set to white.

When trying to type in the cell and you see nothing although the cursor is moving, the reason this is happening may be because the font color and background are set to white.

The text will definitely be camouflaged when this happens.

Another way of checking this is by clicking on the cell and you will see that there are texts shown in the formula bar.

Solution

The solution to this problem is very simple:

  1. Simply change the font or background color!
  2. Another solution would be to clear all formatting of the cell. Select the cell, and click on the Home Tab > Cell Styles > Normal.
  3. Another solution would also be to change the font color to Automatic. In the Home Tab > Font Color > Automatic.

Check your num lock. It might be preventing you from entering numbers.

When you are typing numbers and you are unable to see them on the cell, one of the common causes is that the num lock is off.

The num lock serves as a control for using the numeric keys on your computer.

When you look at your keyboard, you will notice that the numeric keys serve two purposes.

For example, the number 4 lets you enter the number and also the $ sign.

When the num lock is off, you will not be able to enter the number but you will be able to use its other functions.

The num lock key is located on the upper right side of the keyboard.

When it is on, this key usually lights up for most keyboards.

If it does not have this feature, just try typing on a blank screen and see if the num pad works when you turn it on or off.

Solution

One solution would be to simply turn on the num lock button.

When you do, try typing numbers again and see if it works.

The Cells are Locked or Protected

One instance not many people see right away is that the Excel sheet could be protected and set to “Read Only”.

Most authors prefer to keep it this way to avoid other people making unauthorized changes to the sheet.

One way to check if the sheet is protected is by clicking on the Review tab.

If you see two tabs below it that say “Unprotect Sheet” or “Unprotect Workbook”, this means that it is protected. 

If you type on a protected cell, you will see this notification:

Solution

To unprotect the sheet, go to the Review Tab and click on “Unprotect Sheet” or “Unprotect Workbook”.

If it requires a password, you may have to request it from the author.

The Cell May Have Validation Rules Applied

Some authors apply validation rules to cells so that only allowed values can be entered.

What happens then, is that when only numeric values or only values that fall within a certain range are allowed, other values cannot be entered in the cell.

Solution

One can enter a value that falls within the allowed values of the cell or remove the validation altogether.

The steps to remove the validation rule are as follows:

  1. Select the cell you want to remove the validation rule from. 
  2. Select Data > Data Validation.
  3. A data validation box will appear where you can select “Clear All”.

The Cell Values May Be Hidden

When the cell that you are working on is set to a ‘hidden’ format, it will prevent the typed text to appear in the cell when the return key is entered after typing.

Right-click on the cell and click on Format Cells to check if it is set to a hidden format.

You can also enter Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog box. Click on the Number tab > Category List > Custom > Type.

If there are three semicolons, it means that the cell(s) have been formatted as a hidden cell.

Solution

To remove this formatting, simply remove the three semicolons.

Add-ins May Be Preventing You From Typing

A recent installation of add-ins could also prevent you from typing in Excel because it acts up.

When the issues above are addressed and they are not the ones causing the problem in Excel, it might be because of this latest installation.

To verify whether this is the cause of the problem, try closing Excel and opening it again in safe mode.

When you do this, the add-ins are disabled that leaves only the basics.

The following are the steps to open Excel in safe mode:

  1. Close Excel.
  2. Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
  3. Type “Excel/Safe” in the box next to Open and click on OK.

Once done, Excel will open in safe mode.

Solution

After determining that the add-in is causing the problem, the following steps can be taken:

  1. Click on File > Options
  2. Under the Excel options, select Add-ins.
  3. At the bottom of the box, beside Manage, click on COM Add-ins from the dropdown list and click on Go.
  4. From there, you will be able to see a list of the installed add-ins.
  5. Select the add-in that you want active the next time Excel is opened.
  6. Close Excel and restart.
  7. When you type something in Excel and the same issue persists, try enabling and disabling the other add-ins until you get the right one causing the issue.