How to Stop Arrow Keys from Scrolling in Excel (3 Easy Methods)

In this article, we are going to show the top 3 solutions of how to stop Arrow keys from scrolling in Excel. We will demonstrate our methods using a dataset, which contains Employee Names, and their car information. To be more specific our dataset has 3 columns: “Name”, “Car Model”, and “Car Maker”.

Why Do Arrow Keys Scroll in Excel?

Normally the Arrow keys move our Cursor. However, there are two scenarios where this will not be true.

• First, if we turn on SCROLL LOCK then, the Arrow keys will not move the Cursor, rather it will scroll our dataset. To solve this problem, we will need to turn off the scroll lock.
• The other reason is when we have Add-ins. Many Add-ins will make the Arrow keys scroll in Excel. To get rid of this problem, we will need to disable or remove the Add-ins from Excel.

Now that we know what mainly causes this problem, let’s jump right into the solutions section. However, we will only show the solutions to the first problem, if that does not solve your scrolling problem, then you will need to remove or disable Add-ins.

1. Using Hardware Keyboard Scroll Lock Key to Stop Arrow Keys from Scrolling in Excel

In this section, we are going to show you the first method of stopping Arrow keys from scrolling. We have already discussed the two main reasons for this issue. Let us demonstrate the problem.

This is our dataset. If we use the Arrow keys, our cursor will move from one cell to another and this is the default behavior in Excel.

However, if we turn on the “Scroll Lock” button, then we’ll not be able to move from one cell to another. Moreover, we will see “Scroll Lock” on the Status Bar. This means our “Scroll Lock” button is on. Therefore, we need to turn off this. To do that –

Steps:

• First, press the SCROLL LOCK button on the Keyboard.

Then, we will see the “Scroll Lock” is not there anymore on the Status Bar.

Now, if we move the mouse cursor with the Arrow keys, then we will see that scrolling in Excel is no longer the problem. Thus, we have finished the first solution to our issue.

2. Preventing Arrow Keys from Scrolling Through On-Screen Keyboard

For the second method, we will use the On-Screen Keyboard to stop the Arrow keys from scrolling in Excel. As there are many Keyboard layouts (60%, 75%, TKL, Full Size, etc.), not all of them have the “Scroll Lock” key. Therefore, this method will be handy for those smaller form factors.

Steps:

• First, we can see the Status Bar is reflecting that our Arrow keys will scroll in our dataset.

• Secondly, press the Windows Key + R.

This will bring up the Run dialog box.

• Thirdly, type “osk” inside the Open box.
• Then, press OK.

We will notice that the On-Screen Keyboard has been opened.

• Finally, click on the “ScrLk” button on the On-Screen Keyboard.

Thus, this will stop the Arrow keys from scrolling in Excel. Moreover, as we pressed the Down Arrow key, our cursor moved from cell B5 to cell B6.

3. Stopping Arrow Keys from Scrolling by Applying Excel VBA

For the last method, we are going to use Excel VBA to stop Arrow keys from scrolling. Basically, we will be using the SendKeys method to achieve our goal. Moreover, we can see that the “Scroll Lock is turned on” in our Sheet.

Steps:

• First, from the Developer tab >>> select Visual Basic.

This will bring up the Visual Basic window.

• Secondly, from Insert >>> select Module.

Here, we will write our code.

• Thirdly, type the following code.

Sub Turn_Off_Scrolling()
Application.SendKeys "{SCROLLLOCK}"
End Sub

• Then, Save the code.
• After that, put the cursor inside the code and press Run.

• Finally, close this window.

This will execute our code as described in the VBA code breakdown section. In conclusion, it will stop the Arrow keys from scrolling and if we press the Right Arrow key then our cursor will move from cell B5 to B6.

Download Practice Workbook

Conclusion

We have shown you 3 quick methods of how to stop Arrow keys from scrolling in Excel. If you face any problems, feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading, keep excelling!

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