Drag and Fill not working in Excel

LCOX 0 Reputation points
2026-09-12T15:25:14.82+00:00

I have confirmed that the "Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop" option is checked. Also the "Show paste options button when content is pasted" option is checked. Drag and Fill not working since last Microsoft update.

I am using Windows 11 Home. I HAD Microsoft Office 2024 installed on my laptop and I have a Microsoft 365 Personal account for Onedrive only. I checked the account in Excel and it shows Microsoft 365??? I checked my installed programs and it does not show Office 2024??? Has my Office 2024 been hijacked??? Help!!!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-12T15:25:31.1633333+00:00

    For the drag/fill issue, start with the Excel settings that directly control it:

    1. In Excel > File > Options > Advanced > Editing options, confirm Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop is selected.
    2. In the same area, leave Alert before overwriting cells selected.
    3. If formulas are not filling correctly, go to File > Options > Formulas and set Workbook Calculation to Automatic.
    4. Test the fill operation again. As a workaround, use Ctrl+D to fill down or Ctrl+R to fill right.

    Since the problem started after an update, the next supported steps are:

    1. Install the latest Office updates.
    2. If Excel is still not working correctly, run an Online Repair for Microsoft 365/Office from Windows Apps settings. A moderator-recommended resolution for Office apps not opening was Settings > Apps > Office > Modify > Online Repair.
    3. If Excel continues to hang, freeze, or misbehave after repair, repair the Microsoft 365 programs and, if needed, use a selective startup (clean boot) to check whether another background app or service is conflicting with Excel.

    About Excel showing Microsoft 365 instead of Office 2024: there is a documented issue where Office 2024 can appear as an earlier Office version in the app backstage when the Microsoft account has licenses for both versions. The documented resolution is to install the latest Office updates first. If the problem remains after updating, the article provides additional steps involving the local Office licenses folder. That step changes local licensing data, so it should be done carefully and only exactly as documented.

    This does not indicate that Office 2024 was “hijacked.” The supported explanation in the documented issue is a version-display/licensing problem, not account takeover.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. EmilyS726 266.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-12T15:57:24.5+00:00

    Hello

    This can be related to the latest update.

    Please type cmd in the search on the taskbar. Don't press enter key yet. Instead, choose "run as administrator" to launch Command Prompt.

    Then run this command

    For Office Home 2024

    "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeC2RClient.exe" /update user updatetoversion=16.0.20326.20132

    The command is to remove the latest update, which is causing this issue.

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