Microsoft Excel - How to Turn Off Auto-Selection of Multiple Cells

Anonymous
2020-11-13T00:09:21+00:00

Hello Microsoft Community,

I have Excel for my iPad Air 3. I’ve come across this problem that seems to randomly show itself when I am working on a spreadsheet. When using my apple pencil or fingers, I can click and move around no problem. Yet, sometimes, it then starts to auto-select multiple cells when I click a new cell. I need this to stop! I don’t know if I keep pressing some button? Searching through Google hasn’t revealed anything. I can’t get it to stop unless i restart Excel or turn off/on my ipad. But the problem keeps showing up.

As an example, let’s say I was working on B4. Once this wonky setting takes ahold, a new selection of cells is highlighted using B4 as its starting point if I click any other cell in the Excel spreadsheet.

Please help! Thank you

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-01-08T15:49:50+00:00

    I have had the same challenge, multiple times in multiple documents.  It’s extraordinarily frustrating and seems to happen randomly.

    There needs to be a fix or an addition that allows us to return to normal input with a keystroke.  Found articles online that say this can be accomplished on a compter with the use of the F8 key.   We don’t have that option on iPad even with a keyboard.

    HELP!!!!

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-01-08T15:50:52+00:00

    I’ve paid for the 365 subscription and have the same challenge.  I don’t recall this being a problem in prior years so it appears tied to some update to the app.  It’s so annoying.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-01-08T15:51:28+00:00

    Please include me in this complaint.  Thank you,

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-01-09T00:57:45+00:00

    Same problem here. Seems that we started the research some time ago, November? Really? We couldn’t fix this by now????

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-01-09T18:15:29+00:00

    Hello, I would like to be added to this ticket as well. I can’t seem to unselect once this auto selection feature starts acting up. I tried to chat with an agent and was told there was no other support but this message board for iPad users. Thank you.

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