5 Ways to Fix Scrollbar Not Working in Excel

Atish is a seasoned tech enthusiast fueled by caffeine and a Computer Science engineering degree. He stumbled into the blogging world in 2015 and hasn’t looked back. Over 2000+ articles later, his work has been featured on sites like Gizbot, Firstpost, PhoneArena, GSMArena, and IBTimes. At GT, he’s your go-to guy for how-tos, invaluable tips, and troubleshooting guides that actually work. He’s also an SEO and digital marketing whiz and content strategist, so his tech takes are always on point and ethical.

Preliminary Fixes

Fix 1: Restore the Missing Scroll Bar

Step 1: Go to theFilemenu.

Step 2: In the sidebar, selectMore>Options.

Step 3: Go toAdvanced, and under Display options for this workbook, check the boxes forShow horizontal scroll barandShow vertical scroll bar.

Step 4: Finally, clickOK.

You enabled the scroll bar options in Excel. This should resolve the issue you were experiencing. If not, try the following method.

Also Read:How to fix the “Excel has run into an error” problem on Windows

Fix 2: Repair the Excel File

Step 1: Go to theFilemenu.

Step 2: SelectOpen> chooseBrowseunder Other locations.

Step 3: Now,choose the filefrom the File Explorer menu. Once selected, click thechevron(arrow) icon next to the Open button.

Step 4: From the menu, chooseOpen and Repair.

Step 5: In the pop-up, chooseRepair.

That’s it. Wait for Excel to perform checks and validation for potential file corruption. Once the operation is complete, a dialog box will display the result.

Step 6: Click theClosebutton to check if you can scroll through the spreadsheets now.

Also Read:How to change the display and authoring language in Microsoft Excel

Fix 3: Open Excel in Safe Mode

The following method is an extension of the previous one. If Microsoft Office applications malfunction due to corrupt or buggy add-ins, opening Excel in safe mode can resolve the problem.

Note: The Safe Mode feature is unavailable in Microsoft Excel for macOS.

Step 1: Press theWindowskey, typeTask Manager, and clickOpen.

Step 2: SelectMicrosoft Excel> clickEnd task. This ensures that no instances or processes are running on Microsoft Excel.

Step 3: Press theWindowskey, typeRun, and clickRun as administrator.

Step 4: Type the below command and clickOK.

When you open a worksheet in Safe Mode, all or any installed add-ins are disabled. You only need to re-enable the add-ins individually and check which is causing the scrolling problem. If you are wondering how to enable or disable add-ins in Excel, continue reading.

How to Enable and Disable Excel Add-Ins

Step 1: OpenExceland go to theFilemenu.

Step 2: ClickMoreand chooseOptionsfrom the sidebar.

Step 3: Go toAdd-ins. In the right pane, chooseExcel Add-insin the Manage drop-down and clickGo.

Step 4: By default, all the add-ins will be selected. You must deselect the add-in you want to disable and clickOK.

You should check if any add-ins are causing problems, and if so, deactivate or activate them.

Fix 4: Disable Zoom on Roll with IntelliMouse

If you use Microsoft’s mouse, IntelliMouse, you will encounter this issue: Moving the scroll wheel zooms your worksheet instead of scrolling an Excel worksheet vertically.

Step 1: OpenExceland go to theFilemenu.

Step 2: ClickMoreand chooseOptionsfrom the sidebar.

Step 3: Go toAdvancedfrom the sidebar and uncheck theZoom on roll with IntelliMouseoption. Finally, selectOK.

Now, the scroll function will let you move around rather than zooming in or out.

Also Read:How to insert a PDF document into an Excel spreadsheet on Windows

Fix 5: Run the Office Repair Tool

Step 1: Press theWindowskey, typeControl Panel, and clickOpen.

Step 2: Click onPrograms and Features.

Step 3: SelectMicrosoft 365orMicrosoft Officeand clickChange.

In the User Account Control prompt, clickYes.

Step 4: In the pop-up window, selectQuick Repair> click theRepairbutton.

Step 5: Select theRepairbutton again to start the repair operation.

Microsoft runs its checks and repairs and gets the issue resolved. Ensure you have the internet connected during this process. This will resolve any issue pertaining to Microsoft Office apps, including Excel. However, if none of the methods work, try contactingMicrosoft Office supportto resolve your issue.

FAQs

A grayed-out scrollbar typically means there’s no more content to scroll through in that direction. If your data fits within the visible area, the scrollbar may appear grayed out because there’s nothing more to display.

Custom Excel templates generally don’t affect scrollbars unless they include specific settings or macros that modify Excel’s default behavior. Review the template’s settings if you suspect it’s causing the issue.

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 30 August, 2024

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*

Name*

Email*

Comment*

Δ

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

More in Mac

How to Use Grammarly in Microsoft Word (Windows and Mac)

How to Create and Save a Group of Tabs in Chrome

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

Get Guiding Tech articles delivered to your inbox.

© 2024 Guiding Tech Media. All Rights Reserved.