Excel for the Web Cursor and Drag-and-Drop Functionality Not Working Across Multiple Devices

Parris M 0 Reputation points
2026-11-11T15:14:39.4733333+00:00

Issue Description

I am experiencing an unexpected issue with Microsoft Excel where my cursor is no longer functioning as expected. I am unable to effectively select, edit, and drag-and-drop cells. I need to restore the cursor to its normal functionality.

Initially, I experienced this issue while using Excel for the Web. I subsequently purchased a personal Microsoft 365 subscription to access the desktop application and its advanced settings for additional troubleshooting. However, the issue persists in both versions.

Environment

Application: Microsoft Excel for the Web and Microsoft Excel Desktop

Account type: Personal Microsoft account

Operating system: Windows

Browsers tested: Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge

Additional devices tested: A second laptop and a tablet

Subscription: Active personal Microsoft 365 subscription

Troubleshooting Completed

I have attempted the following steps:

Checked Scroll Lock using the Windows on-screen keyboard to confirm it was disabled.

Logged out of Excel and logged back in.

Refreshed the application.

Tested Excel using different browsers.

Opened multiple existing workbooks and created a new blank workbook.

Tested the same Microsoft account on a second laptop and tablet.

Purchased a personal Microsoft 365 subscription and accessed the desktop version of Excel.

Navigated to File > Options > Advanced and confirmed that both Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop and Allow editing directly in cells were selected.

Despite completing these steps, the issue remains unresolved.

Results

The issue persists across multiple workbooks, browsers, devices, and both the web and desktop versions of Excel.

The problem began unexpectedly, as I had not previously experienced issues with my cursor or the drag-and-drop functionality.

Question

What could be causing Excel's cursor and cell drag-and-drop functionality to stop working across both the web and desktop applications, even after enabling the recommended advanced settings and completing standard troubleshooting?

Could this be related to my personal Microsoft account, an application configuration, or an underlying Windows issue? What additional troubleshooting steps can I take to restore normal cursor and cell editing functionality?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Other

1 answer

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  1. Ryan-N 16,950 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-11T15:47:33.8266667+00:00

    Hi Parris,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Based on my testing environment, the mouse cursor functionality is working normally.

    You mentioned that you tested the same account on multiple different devices, but the issue still persists.

    To help narrow down the cause of the issue, could you please try the following additional step:

    Please sign in with a different account and check whether the mouse cursor and cell drag-and-drop functionality in Excel for the Web work normally.

    Based on the result of this test, I can better determine whether the issue may be related to the account or account environment, or to Excel for the Web itself.

    I look forward to your response.

     

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