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

Anonymous
2017-09-07T06:12:50+00:00

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!

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Anonymous
2017-09-17T21:23:17+00:00

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:

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

We're just here if you need further assistance.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-09-15T00:56:34+00:00

    I am having exactly the same issues. Old documents with tables that I have made previously now have text missing from them. Also when i merge cells the text disappears or I can not place the cursor in the cell to type anything .

    Is becoming very annoying as a lot of the documentation I do on a daily basis uses tables.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-09-13T20:37:25+00:00

    I am having the same challenges on my work computer.

    Every document I open that has merged cells in a table, the text is no longer visible in the merged cells.  I have tried as many workarounds as I can think of, but it is getting very frustrating.  

    I hope someone at MicroSoft can figure this out, seems to be affecting several worker in the last couple days.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-13T13:33:35+00:00

    Just started on my computer as well running windows 10. Not effecting other computers on network.

    Help

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-09-13T11:05:56+00:00

    Exactly the same thing is happening to me on my work computer, which is a PC, although I can make changes on my own computer (which is a mac). 

    I am using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016

    version number 16.0.4549.1000

    Any help would be much appreciated

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