[Fixed!] Excel Scroll Bar Too Long (5 Solutions)

Have you ever faced a situation where the scroll bar in Excel is too long and you are not sure how to fix it? Do not despair! Because you’ve come to the right place. In the following article, we’ll discuss 5 fixes for Excel scroll bar too long, and we’ll also show how to stop scrolling to infinity and remove extra scroll bars in Excel.

Excel Scroll Bar Too Long: 5 Possible Solutions

Suppose we have the List of Clientele dataset shown in the B4:E14 cells, which portray the Company Names, their Addresses, the location City, and the Zip Code respectively. Therefore, without further delay, let’s explore each of the solutions with appropriate illustrations.

Here, we have used the Microsoft Excel 365 version, you may use any other version according to your convenience.

Solution 1: Deleting Contents from Other Cells

First and foremost, a common cause of the long scroll bar in Excel is that data may be present in some far-away cells, and removing them may fix this issue. Therefore, just follow along.

📌 Steps:

• First of all, let’s consider we have some unwanted text in the B1048563 cell.

• Now, click on column F to select the entire column.

• Then, press the CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow key to select up to the XFD cell >> press the CTRL+ – (Minus) key to delete the contents of the cells.

• Next, move to Row 15 and select all the cells.

• In a similar style, use the CTRL + SHIFT + Down Arrow key to select up to the 1048576 cells >> hit the CTRL+ – (Minus) key to delete the cell contents.

Finally, type in CTRL + Home to move to the top of the dataset, and the scroll bar should adjust to the regular size.

Read More: [Solved!] Scroll Bar Not Working in Excel

Solution 2: Using Keyboard Shortcut

Alternatively, you can employ a keyboard shortcut to undo any changes you may have made by mistake.

📌 Steps:

• To start with, if you find yourself in an unfamiliar cell, press the ESC key to exit edit mode.

• Afterward, use the CTRL + Z keys to undo the changes >> press CTRL + HOME to navigate back to the top.

Hopefully, this resolves the Excel scroll bar too long problem.

Read More: [Fixed!] Bottom Scroll Bar Missing in Excel

Solution 3: Removing Hidden Notes/Comments

If hidden notes/comments are present in the spreadsheet, then you may encounter the Excel scroll bar too long problem. Fortunately, in the following section, we’ll demonstrate the process of resolving this issue.

📌 Steps:

• In the first place, jump to the File tab.

• Next, go to Options located at the bottom.

In an instant, the Excel Options wizard appears.

• Following this, move to the Advanced tab >> in the Display group, insert a check mark for the Indicators and notes, and comments on hover option >> press the OK button.

Now, this unveils any hidden notes/comments in the worksheet.

• In turn, proceed to the cell containing the note/comment, here it is the E9 cell >> Right Click on the mouse >> choose the Delete Note option.

Subsequently, this should yield the results shown in the image given below.

Read More: [Fixed!] Excel Horizontal Scroll Bar Not Working

Solution 4: Identifying Hidden Charts

For instance, having hidden chart objects in your worksheet can also cause the “Excel scroll bar too long” issue. Now, let’s observe and learn to troubleshoot this issue. Let’s consider the List of Company Stock Prices dataset in the B4:D13 cells, which show the Company names, the Ticker symbol, and the Stock Price in USD respectively.

📌 Steps:

• First of all, go to the Find & Select option >> click Selection Pane.

Immediately, the Selection Pane pops out on the right.

• From this point, click the Show All toggle to reveal any hidden charts.

• Later, select the chart >> Right Click and press the DELETE button to remove the chart.

Consequently, the scroll bar should return to its default size.

Read More: [Solved]: Excel Scroll Bar Moves but Sheet Does Not

Solution 5: Applying VBA Code

Lastly, you can apply a simple VBA Code to set the scroll area to just the cells containing the dataset. It’s simple and easy, so just follow along.

📌 Steps:

• First, navigate to the Developer tab >> click the Visual Basic button.

Now, this opens the Visual Basic Editor in a new window.

• Second, go to the View tab >> select Immediate Window.

• Third, copy and paste the code below into the Immediate window >> hit the ENTER key.

ActiveSheet.UsedRange

Eventually, this should reset the scroll bar size back to normal, as evident in the screenshot below.

How to Stop Excel from Scrolling to Infinity

For one thing, you can use the Properties option to fix the scroll area just around the dataset in an attempt to fix the long scroll bar in Excel. However, this is a temporary fix, and re-opening the worksheet switches back to the default scroll area.

📌 Steps:

• To begin with, go to the Developer tab >> select Properties.

Not long after, this opens the Properties window.

• Later, in the ScrollArea field, enter the range of cells. In this case, the range is $A$1:$F$14.

📃 Note: Please make sure to provide Absolute Cell Reference by typing in the $ sign.

• Finally, exit the Properties window, now your scrolling area is now limited to just your data range.

How to Remove Extra Scroll Bar in Excel

Normally, extra scroll bars appear in Excel when you click the Split option in Excel. Now, the Split option helps to divide a large dataset so you can observe it more easily. However, ignorance of this fact can be quite stressful. For instance, the picture below shows the dataset with the Split option enabled.

Luckily, there is a simple fix, so follow the steps shown below.

📌 Steps:

• Initially, proceed to the View tab >> click the Split toggle to enable/disable it.

Boom! This switches off the Split option. It’s that simple.

All said and done, the world we live in is far from perfect! Though the methods above are all possible ways to resolve the Excel scroll bar being too long, if the problem persists as the last option, you can contact Microsoft Support. Here, you can find many Excel experts who will provide solutions for your particular issues.

💡 Things to Remember

Last but not least, a few noteworthy points to remember when fixing the “Excel scroll bar too long” issue.

• First, use the Clear All option in the Editing group to get rid of the contents of all the other cells.
• Second, you can also copy only the cells containing data and paste them into a new worksheet.
• Third, make sure to unhide all comments/notes and delete them to resolve the issue.

Download Practice Workbook

Conclusion

In essence, this article describes some quick and easy fixes for the Excel scroll bar too long issue. Now, we hope you found it helpful, and do inform us in the comment section about your experience.

<< Go Back to Scrollbar in Excel | Excel Parts | Learn Excel