I'm new to Excel 2010. We moved from 2003 to 2010 at work (hate it.) I am a keyboard user, not much of a mouse user. For some reason, when creating a formula, I can no longer arrow over to select a cell into the formula I am writing. It is only on my computer. I tried on a coworker's 2 computers and it works just fine. I seem to be missing the option somewhere where I can't find it.

Example, I want to divide cell A3 by 4.45. I would type = followed by arrowing over to A3 then /4.45. I now have to use the mouse to select the A3 cell instead of being able to arrow over (using arrow keys nets me the formula "=/4.45") This is driving me crazy.

Anyone know where the option is to change this? I can't find it in the stupid icons rather than the old 2003 menu bar.

This page might help you: http://office.microsoft.com/en ... 794130.aspx#_Toc268688374

It has helped me with some things.

This is the wrong forum, but I'll answer your question.

Click a cell and press "=" as if to enter a formula. Look at the status bar at the bottom-left of the screen. It will normally say "Enter", which means you're in formula entry mode. This mode allows you to enter references to other cells using your arrow keys. If it says "Edit", that means you're in formula editing mode, which will only allow your arrow keys to move the cursor within the cell to edit the formula.

If you're entering a formula and find that you can't refer to other cells using your arrow keys, press F2 to toggle Enter/Edit modes.

Excel 2010 is a terrific improvement over 2003 and to a lesser extent, 2007. I use a lot of advanced features in Excel with huge amounts of data (10,000 - 300,000 plus rows and VBA macros to manipulate them). You really feel the improvements to features, speed, and ease-of-use when you start to stretch the program.

Ah ha, that's why I couldn't find my thread. At home I open up off-topic. I'm at work and have the root subforum list and clicked the wrong one. Someone of higher power can feel free to move it to the correct location please

Yeah, I know how to edit cells. That's not the problem. I arrow over to the cell, the cell is highlighted, but the cell selected is not displayed within the formula.

If I knew if there was an option previous in the menu, I would be able to use the link above. I don't know of any option to allow the keyboard selection or to disallow, thus would not know which old menu to look for to cross reference.

It is kind of like driving an automatic transmission after driving a manual for 20 years. It takes forever to quit going for the clutch when stopping. I've used the keyboard with spreadsheets for 20 years. I have to do everything twice now, once with the keyboard and realize it didn't take the cells, then again with the mouse. Been driving me crazy for about 5 months now since IT switched me from Office 2003 to 2010. (Obviously, ask IT, but all they are, are computer program installers and do not know much else to help out, along with being too lazy to help anyone out.)

Quote from mrodgers :

Yeah, I know how to edit cells. That's not the problem. I arrow over to the cell, the cell is highlighted, but the cell selected is not displayed within the formula.

I've used the keyboard with spreadsheets for 20 years. I have to do everything twice now, once with the keyboard and realize it didn't take the cells, then again with the mouse.

My answer wasn't about editing cells, but about being in the correct mode for editing formulas.

Did you try toggling between enter/edit modes by pressing F2? You need to be in enter mode to insert references to other cells by arrowing over with the keyboard.

Quote from samjh :

My answer wasn't about editing cells, but about being in the correct mode for editing formulas.

Did you try toggling between enter/edit modes by pressing F2? You need to be in enter mode to insert references to other cells by arrowing over with the keyboard.

Nope, being in enter mode just moves you to a different cell with the arrow keys.

Excel 2003 on my laptop now. Cell A1, if I type "=" into a cell, you are in enter mode shown in the status bar. I continue to type a formula, say "1+". I now want to reference cell A2 to give me "1+A2". I just arrow down which highlights A2, puts "A2" reference into the formula, and the status bar also shows "point" rather than "enter". Now I either continue to type my formula or hit enter key and it accepts and moves to the next cell.

In Excel 2010, it is not doing this. It arrow moves down to cell A2, the cell is highlighted with a dotted box, but no reference for the cell is put into the formula. Status below reads "enter". The resulting formula is "=1+" (which displays an error of incomplete formula of course) rather than "=1+A2".

This is how I've been referencing cells in formulas in Excel now for 17+ years. It works just fine on a coworker's desktop as well as his laptop running XP and Windows 7 repectively, but does not on my work computer.