I can't type in a cell after cell merge in MS Word

Anonymous

Hello,

I am working on a table in MS Word and trying to merge and change the cell direction to vertical on the very first column on the left of a table. But when I merge 3 cells, I can no longer type text in that merged cell.

I was able to do this before and saved this document as such. But now that I want to go back and edit the table, the text that was in that first merged column is gone and I can no longer type anything in it.

Also, after I click the merge option, the little + symbol at the top left corner of my table disappears. I have never had this happen to me before while using the tables feature

I tried restarting my computer but it is still doing this.

HELP!

Moved from:**Office /Word / Windows 10 / Unknown/other

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Anonymous

Hello Melanie,

Microsoft is aware of the ongoing issue with the merged table cells not working correctly in Word 2016. As of September 11, a workaround was released and a resolution is tentatively scheduled for October 3. As a workaround, you can uninstall both the latest update for Word 2016: KB3213656 and KB4011039. Your merged table cells should return to normal after removing both KBs. For more information about this known issue, you can refer to this article. Follow the steps below on how to uninstall an update on Windows 10:

Close Word 2016.
Select the Start button.
Go to Settings > Update & security > Update history > Uninstall updates.
Look for KB3213656 and KB4011039.
Select the updates and then click Uninstall.
Click Yes or enter the administrator password to proceed with the removal process.
Wait for the process to complete.

We're just here if you need further assistance.

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42 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-09-14T18:26:10+00:00

here are before and after screenshots
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Anonymous

2017-09-19T15:59:19+00:00

Got the update (KB4011039) uninstalled and the problem was resolved. The same update reinstalled last night and brought the problem back. Had the update uninstalled a second time this morning and problem is resolved again.

Because I'm not a local admin on my work PC, this involves help desk tickets and waiting for another person to deal with it each time. Apparently turning off automatic updates is not an option. At this point it's getting ridiculous.

Putting in a 3rd ticket, and potentially another one every single day until the 10/3 fix is something I would only wish on people I hate. Can't this update be fixed before it's released again? Please?
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Anonymous

2017-09-14T18:20:23+00:00

Same thing. Merging cells in a column now removes existing text and does not allow new text entry at all. It's happening in all new documents, and intermittently in documents that were created more than a few days ago.

I just tried it in a document that was originally created several days ago, and merging the column cells worked fine until I began entering new text outside of the table. That seemed to throw things off. Even after undoing the newly entered text, the problem remains.
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Anonymous

2017-09-14T14:30:25+00:00

I am having the exact same problem. Cursor disappears and I can't do anything in the merged table cell. Very frustrated right now! I can't even add a text box. It's like the merged table cell no longer exists. It's allowing me to merge and type on horizontal cells at times, but not vertical.
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