Selecting a cell with Mouse doesn't always work
I have a great deal of trouble with the mouse click in Excel (Version 15.22). I have to move the mouse out of the cell I'm working in, click on a cell far away from it several times, and then come back and try it again.
This is never an issue with Excel (Version 14.6.4). I'd like to use the later version but it's too difficult to use with the cell selection issue.

Thanks for your feedback. Several issues have been fixed with regard to cell selection. Some have already been released and one fix will be available in the Oct. 2019 monthly release of Excel for Mac. Once you have version 16.30 or greater, you should no longer have an issue if you are using repeated rows at the top of your sheet and using Page Layout View. If you want to get the fix sooner, you can opt into the Insiders program and choose the Fast updates. To do so, just go to Help > Check for Updates. Then check the box to join the Office Insider Program and choose Office Insider Fast. Then press Check for Updates and install version 16.30×.
113 comments
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Anonymous commented
Just updated to Excel version 16.46 (because I was having the upside down AND backwards text in cells problem on the older version after Mac system update.) Now I have the wrong cell selection problem. An improvement I suppose. Seriously, after reading other comments, this situation is pathetic. There are other spreadsheet apps. Time to switch.
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Cherylac commented
This was happening to me recently in Version 2012. It only started happening after I switched out my older Thinkpad for a newer one. I seem to have fixed the issue (for now), simply by unfreezing my frozen panes. I've since refrozen them, but the problem hasn't (yet) returned. Yay!
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Trey Carrico commented
For the love of Christ, or Allah, or whomever...Bill Gates come back and fix this problem. I have had this problem for approx. 25 years. This is still a significant issue. I have to right-click 6-12 times in a row until I get lucky(?) and excel recognizes that I want to right click a column/cell. Can we set up a "go fund me" for you folks? Does the challenge need quantum computing? Will I die from old age before Microsoft can fix this problem? From all of us to all of you, stop making the product different and start making what you already have better.
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Anonymous commented
I have version 16.43 and this is not fixed. You need multiple clicks in a cell to actually select it, pressing tab to move to the next cell similarly doesn't work many times. It's incredibly annoying. Please fix this issue, I can't believe it's been going on this long!
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Anonymous commented
I can't believe I can't do my work since I can't actually choose a cell to enter into, and I'm told to restart? I already work 10 to 12 hours a day, who has time for that? Often I can't even see the data unless I hover over an individual cell, that's a lot of help, NOT! I actually went out and bought a Windows machine thinking that I'd have less issues with Excel. Joke is definitely on me, Excel won't run on it's native environment any better than on the Mac and lately its been worse. The only thing I got from the Windows laptop was about 3 weeks of email merging while Microsoft updated the Mac version.
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Anonymous commented
Microsoft, please continue to address the issue. It's not fixed yet. I'm using Excel for Mac v16.41, and have been cursing Gates & Co about once every 10 minutes when I click in a cell, start to type, and then realize that Excel has selected a distant range on my behalf. Argh!
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Kat commented
We've all been there - you know you're on cell A100, but the magical mac-Excel-brain wants you to believe you're actually on cell A999 and highlights a crazy variation of cells ----- I've found the quickest way to resolve this is to open a new sheet, click in any cell, and then go back to my original sheet and continue along. After my nonmagical brain learned to just accept this as a quick remedy, since this issue has not been fixed since 2010, my sanity has been returned.
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Anonymous commented
just updated to High Sierra, and the latest mac office 365, it was totally usable before now i've updated it terrible, so much for progress
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Anonymous commented
I am using V16.30 and it is ridiculous. I feel like every second click doesn't work. How can this STILL be an issue?? I can't even use Excel anymore it's so frustrating!!!
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anonymous commented
Noticed the mouse select problem 1-14-20 for the first time with Excel v 14.7.3. I went to help>updates and after 2 updates, updated to v 14.7.7 (Mac os 10.13.6 High Sierra) and the mouse issue seems to have resolved.
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You Don't Need My Name commented
The upgrade has made this issue the worst it's ever been! Is this a sike joke?
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Anthony Rosenberg commented
Running Excel 16.30 on Mac and this is STILL a major problem. Almost making Excel unusable as it happens every 10 or so clicks and then takes another 10-15 clicks to get back to normal.
It happens in Normal view, resizing does help, but as I said, close to unusable. -
Anonymous commented
When I am not at full screen, I clicked on the ribbon to highlight the cell in yellow but it doesnt work! Only when I am on full screen then I can highlight it in yellow.
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Brian commented
I hate this "upgrade" to Excell. Sometimes it works, then other times I cannot enter date in a cell.
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nuqwestr commented
I've found in tables with odd cell shapes that using the keyboard shortcut works best to select individual cell for formatting.
TAB forward to cell, or SHIFT TAB backward into cell, then right click for TABLE PROPERTIES.
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Oliver commented
I tried for an Oct. 2019 update but there is none. My version is Excel 16.29, the latest.
My cell selection always indicates 1/2 of each of 2 adjoining cells. This is a ridiculous problem that has been going on since 2015 according to online posts.
The problem disappears if I jump around and select different page views until it goes away.
Surely Microsoft can overcome a glitch in less than 4 years! -
Eric Russell commented
I am a long-time MAC user (since 1990) and currently using Excel V16.16 (190909) on Mac Book Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) on OS Mojave 10.14.6 and I constantly need to click 2-3 times for the cell, formula bar, etc to be selected. This is extremely frustrating and has been doing so for several versions. Just exactly WTF is the problem here that can't be fixed?
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Anonymous commented
The dragging of a cell's values does not work. The cursor does not change into + sign when I bring it to the right-hand bottom corner of the cell.
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Anonymous commented
I have the same problem with many of my spreadsheets. REALLY frustrating. So many people are reporting this. Isn't there a way to fix it?
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GEOSAC commented
I restart the computer and it works. Very annoying.