Drag to fill not working at all

Could you try starting Excel in Safe Mode (excel /safe) and check if the fill handle appears?

Open a workbook and check if drag-to-fill works. If yes → one of your add-ins is blocking it.

Workarounds if nothing helps 🙂

• Use Ctrl+D (fill down) and Ctrl+R (fill right) as keyboard alternatives.

Additional Things what you can try:

Sheet protection

• If the worksheet is protected (Review → Protect Sheet), drag-to-fill will be disabled even though the setting is checked.
• Try Review → Unprotect Sheet to confirm.

Cell editing disabled

• Go to File → Options → Advanced.
• Under Editing options, make sure Allow editing directly in cells is checked.

Selection type

• Drag-to-fill works only if you select a cell (or a range) where Excel can infer a series or copy.
• If you’re in filter view or if the selection is disjointed, the handle may not appear.

Zoom and display glitches

• At very low zoom levels (≤25%), the fill handle sometimes doesn’t show. Try setting zoom back to 100%.
• Also check you’re not in Page Layout view (View tab → Workbook Views → Normal).

Mouse settings / drivers

• Rarely, a stuck middle button or custom mouse software can interfere. Try with another mouse just to rule it out.

Excel updates

• Make sure you’re on the latest Microsoft 365 build.
• File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
• Some builds had known bugs with the fill handle disappearing.

My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

Hope this will help you.

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