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How to Change the Cursor Movement Direction in Excel
Make it move up, right, or left instead of down
By Ted French Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 4, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook What to Know
Windows Excel: Go to File > Options > Advanced. Go to After pressing Enter, move selection and use Direction arrow to choose a direction.Mac Excel: Go to Excel > Preferences > Edit. Go to After pressing Enter, move selection and use Direction arrow to choose a direction. This article explains how to change the cursor movement direction in Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010; Excel for Mac; and Excel for Microsoft 365. Change the Cursor Direction in Excel for Windows
By default, Microsoft Excel automatically moves the active cell highlight, or cell cursor, down one cell when you press the Enter key on the keyboard. This is a default setting because this is how most users input data. However, you may prefer your cursor to move to the right, left, or up when you enter data. You may even prefer that it not move at all. It's easy to change the cursor's movement direction in Excel for Windows. Open Excel. Select the File tab of the ribbon to open the File menu. Select Options in the menu to open Excel Options. Select Advanced in the left pane of the dialog box. In the Editing Options section, go to After pressing Enter, move selection in the right pane. Select the down arrow next to Direction and choose up, left, or right. To have the cell cursor remain on the same cell, remove the check mark from the box next to After pressing Enter, move selection. Select OK to save your changes. The Excel cursor direction is now changed. Change the Cursor Direction in Excel for Mac
Changing the Excel cursor direction is similar on the Mac. Open Excel. Select the Excel menu option. Select Preferences in the menu to open Excel Preferences. Select the Edit option. In the Editing Options section, go to After pressing Enter, move selection in the right pane. Select the down arrow next to Direction and choose up, right, or left. To have the cell cursor remain on the same cell, remove the check mark from the box next to After pressing Return, move selection. Select OK to save your changes. Your Excel cursor direction is now changed. If you want to enter data across rows, rather than down in columns, there's no need to change your Excel cursor direction. Instead, use the Tab key to move left to right across a worksheet when entering your data. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change the Number of Decimal Places in Excel How to Use the Round Function in Excel How to Use Google Sheets How to Create a Report in Excel How to Create Exploding Pie Charts in Excel How to Convert Excel Documents to the PDF Format How to Limit Rows and Columns in an Excel Worksheet How to Round Numbers Down in Excel With the ROUNDDOWN Function How to Strikethrough In Excel How to Split Cells in Excel Use Office Clipboard to Copy Multiple Items in Excel The 12 Best Tips for Using Excel for Android in 2022 Learn How to Remove Extra Spaces From Excel Using TRIM How to Calculate Percentage in Excel How to Recover an Excel File How to Use the MONTH Formula in Excel Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies