# Excel - arrow keys behavior setting **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844 "2010-07-07T13:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/1 "2010-07-07T13:06:27Z")
I’ve been using Excel forever, and I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts. My grandson was goofing around with my computer the other day, and the arrow keys no longer move the cursor to another cell; they scroll the worksheet… It’s driving me nuts, and I spent a good 20 minutes searching through all of the preferences and tools trying to find what setting he changed so I can change it back. Can anyone help me with this? I’m using Excel 2004 on Mac OS 10.5.8. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/2 "2010-07-07T13:08:16Z")
In Windows having scroll lock on will do this. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/3 "2010-07-07T13:35:54Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > In Windows having scroll lock on will do this. This. Apologies to the OP if I’m stating the obvious, but scroll lock is a key on your keyboard, usually somewhere off the right end of the function (F1-F12) keys. Often there’s an indicator light somewhere on your keyboard (typically near the caps-lock indicator light) that tells you whether scroll lock is turned on or not. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/4 "2010-07-07T20:03:59Z")
That’s all fine and dandy for Windows users, **Joe** , but Macs don’t _have_ scroll lock keys (and the caps-lock indicator light is on the caps-lock key). ETA: So I went back to Excel and turned on the status bar. Sure enough, there’s an “SCRL” indicator at the bottom, and it’s lit up. So how the heck do I turn it off? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/5 "2010-07-07T20:09:50Z")
So I started pushing every stinking key on the keyboard. Microsoft seems to have randomly designated the Macintosh F14 key as Scroll Lock on a Mac. Of course, they don’t ship manuals with their software anymore, and “Scroll Lock” doesn’t appear in their online help files. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/6 "2010-07-07T20:17:13Z")
Sorry, in my frustration with Microsoft I forgot to say thanks for the help, folks. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/7 "2010-07-07T20:32:30Z")
I don’t have Office 2003 handy (which is the equivalent of Mac 2004 I believe), but can you also double click on the “SCRL” to change it’s status? I think that’s the way it works with “OVR” in Word. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/8 "2010-07-07T20:35:42Z")
Not to rub salt, but Googling “excel mac scroll lock” returned many hits, the first with the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/9 "2010-07-07T21:54:08Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Not to rub salt, but Googling “excel mac scroll lock” returned many hits, the first with the solution. Understood, but since the Mac doesn’t _have_ a scroll lock key, it never occurred to me to search for it. Microsoft took a Windows concept and implemented it in Mac software _without putting it on a menu_, which is where I searched for it. And no, **thelurkinghorror** , I tried clicking on it, double-clicking, right-clicking, double-right-clicking… Then I figured it was probably some key on the keyboard and started trying function keys. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/10 "2010-07-07T21:58:30Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:9, topic:545844”] Understood, but since the Mac doesn’t _have_ a scroll lock key, it never occurred to me to search for it. Microsoft took a Windows concept and implemented it in Mac software _without putting it on a menu_, which is where I searched for it. [/QUOTE] Sorry, Gary. I had lost track of the fact that you didn’t discover the SCRL indicator on the screen until after you’d already been troubleshooting it here. I misremembered it as part of the initial conditions of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-arrow-keys-behavior-setting/545844/11 "2010-07-07T22:27:52Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Sorry, Gary. Not a problem.