Excel’s Scroll Lock allows you to control the arrow keys’ practices.

Arrow keys typically move you between individual cells when Scroll Lock is disabled: upward, downward, left, or right.

You know how frustrating it can be to try to scroll through a worksheet with lots of data and the entire page moves when you scroll one column over. Probably because you’ve turned on Scroll Lock on your keyboard. Scroll Lock prevents the cell pointer from moving if the arrow keys are held down. It can be helpful sometimes, but can also be annoying at other times.

Do you know how to remove scroll lock in Excel? Today, we are going to discuss how you can turn off the scroll lock in Excel by using different approaches.

What is Scroll Lock in Excel?

The scroll lock in Excel changes the way one navigates through a worksheet. By turning on the scroll lock, you can scroll through the Excel sheet without changing the active cell. When the scroll lock is turned off, the arrow keys allow moving from one cell to the other.

However, when the Scroll Lock is enabled in Excel, arrow keys scroll the worksheet area: one row up and down or one column to the left or right. The current selection (a cell or range) does not change when the worksheet is scrolled.

You can check whether Scroll Lock is enabled in Excel by looking at its status bar at the bottom. Status bars also show page numbers, averages, sums, and counts of selected cells, among other things:

Note: You can only see the Scroll Lock status with the Excel status bar, but you cannot manage it.

With Scroll Lock, you can toggle it on and off by pressing the Scroll Lock key, just like Num Lock and Caps Lock.

How to Remove Scroll Lock in Excel?

Method 1:

You can use the keyboard shortcuts to remove scroll lock in Excel. Users often like to use keyboard shortcuts because it helps them save time and effort.

Press the scroll lock key given on the keyboard. The scroll lock appears as ScrLk on the keyboard. If you cannot find the scroll lock key on the keyboard, follow these steps:

1. Click Start and then open Settings.
2. Choose Ease of Access and click on Keyboard.
3. Now, you can turn off the use the On-Screen Keyboard slider button.
4. Now, you know how to remove scroll lock. Enjoy scrolling through the worksheets without any issues.

The Functions of the Arrow Keys (With and Without the Scroll Lock)

When the scroll lock is not activated, the arrow keys let you execute these functions: 

1. Move one row up or down with the up and down arrow key.
2. Move one column to the left or right with the right and left arrow keys.
3. Press CTRL plus the respective arrow key at the same time to move easily to any side of the worksheet.
4. You can even move to the last cell when there is no data in a range by pressing CTRL plus any arrow key.
5. Press the Shift key with any arrow key at the same time to select a collection of cells vertically or horizontally.

If the scroll lock is enabled, you will not be able to use arrow keys to select a cell. In that case, you need to use the mouse to select a cell.

That’s it!

This is how to remove scroll lock in Excel by using different methods. Enjoy scrolling down freely without any hassle. Excel has lots more to explore. Keep trying and learning new skills.