Durjoy Paul
Excel cursor not changing to plus is a very frustrating problem to have. As an Excel regular user, you will find it really tough if the cursor is not changing to plus. Without it, you can’t drag your fill handle icon to the desired place. This article will try to provide some possible solutions through which you can eliminate this problem.
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7 Possible Solutions for Excel Cursor Not Changing to Plus
Before giving any solution regarding this issue, you have to understand the problem clearly. Excel cursor not changing to plus means when you select any cell and go to the bottom right corner, you don’t get any plus sign. That means you can’t drag the fill handle icon to copy the formula. Here, we have a dataset that includes some stores’ income and expenses. We calculate the profit by using a formula but we can’t drag it down the bottom because of cursor not changing to plus. To solve this problem. We have found eight possible options through which you can eliminate this.
Solution 1: Enable Fill Handle
Firstly, one of the most common solutions to this problem is to Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop from the Advanced option in Excel. Follow the steps to enable this.
StepsÂ
- First, select the File tab in the ribbon.
- In the File tab, select the More command.
- Select Options from the More command.
- An Excel Options dialog box will appear.
- From there, select the Advanced option.
- Next, in the Editing Options, check on the ‘Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop option.
- Finally, click on OK.
- That will change the cursor into a plus.
Read More: [Fixed!] Excel Cursor Stuck on White Cross (6 Possible Solutions)
Solution 2: Unplug Docking Station
Our solution is for those people who use the docking station. A docking station can be defined as a station where your laptop converts into a desktop. By using a docking station, you can easily connect the monitor, keyboard, printer, mouse, internet, and so on. The docking station can cause problems with your excel cursor. To solve this issue, you need to unplug the docking station and then plug it back. Most of the cases due to some plugging issues, you may face this frustrating problem.
Solution 3: Update Driver for Mouse
Another way you can solve this cursor is by updating the driver for the mouse. Because of updating issue, you may face a cursor problem. To update the driver for the mouse, you need to follow the following steps.
Steps
- First, right-click on the windows icon at the bottom left corner of your screen.
- From there, select the Device Manager.
- A Device Manager dialog box will appear.
- In the Mice and other pointing devices section, select PS/2 compatible Mouse. It may vary from person to person. But all the mouse types will appear in this section.
- PS/2 compatible Mouse Properties dialog box will pop up.
- Select the Driver section at the top.
- Then, click on the Update Driver option.
- Next, click on Search automatically for updated driver software. It will search for the best option for this computer and update your driver.
- After that, check your Excel cursor whether it changes to plus or not.
Read More: [Fixed:] Cursor Keys Not Working in Excel (8 Possible Solutions)
Solution 4: Run Excel in Safe Mode
You may run your excel in a safe mood to eliminate this problem. The safe mood will help you to run the program without any further problems. To run the excel in a safe mood, you need to follow the following steps.
Steps
- First, open the Run command by pressing Windows+R on a keyboard.
- A Run dialog box will appear.
- In the Open section, write down Excel/safe.
- Finally, click on OK.
- Then, check the excel cursor whether it changes to plus or not.
Solution 5: Repair Microsoft Office Application
You can solve the cursor issue by repairing the Microsoft office application. There is some internal problem through which you may face some issues.
Steps
- First, open the Run command by pressing Windows+R.
- Next, write down appwiz.cpl in the Open box.
- Now, right-click on Microsoft 365 and select Change.
- This may have solved your excel cursor problem.
Read More: [Fixed!] Excel Cursor Stuck in Drag Mode (5 Possible Solutions)
Solution 6: Check and Install Latest Updates
If the above solution doesn’t eliminate the problems, you may be trying to update the latest Microsoft Office version. There can be bugs in the previous version. By updating the latest version, you can eliminate the excel cursor problem and remain up to date. To check and install the latest updates, you need to follow the following steps.
Steps
- First, go to the File tab in the ribbon.
- From there select the Account command.
- Next, select the Update Options.
- From there, select Update Now.
Solution 7: Reinstall Microsoft Office
There are internal issues through which you may face this difficulty. We have discussed several solutions internally. But if it doesn’t solve your excel cursor problems, then there is only one option left which is to uninstall the Microsoft Office and then reinstall it. It will take back its default settings where you can find your preferred environment.
Conclusion
Here to solve Excel cursor not changing to plus, we have discussed seven different solutions. All of them can be useful for your cursor problem. It can be an internal issue or a Microsoft office problem. We cover all the possible solutions. I hope you find it really helpful in our day-to-day use. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment box. Finally, don’t forget to visit our Exceldemy page.
