Forum Discussion
Excel selects wrong cell
The issue persists across various versions of Microsoft 365. While Microsoft has yet to provide an official fix, several community members have shared potential workarounds that might help alleviate the problem.
Common Workarounds Suggested by Users...
1. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration
Some users have found that turning off hardware graphics acceleration in Excel can resolve the issue. To do this:
- Go to File > Options > Advanced.
- Scroll down to the Display section.
- Check the box for Disable hardware graphics acceleration.
- Click OK to apply the changes.
This adjustment can help if the problem is related to display scaling or graphics driver glitches.
2. Adjust Zoom Level
Changing the zoom level in Excel has been reported to temporarily fix the issue:
- Set the zoom to 100%.
- If the problem persists, try adjusting the zoom to different levels and observe if it affects the behavior.
Some users have noted that using a zoom level other than 100% can cause the selection issue to occur.
3. Switch to a Different Worksheet
Changing to another worksheet and then returning to the original one can sometimes reset the selection behavior.
- Click on a different worksheet tab.
- Then, switch back to the original worksheet.
This method has provided a temporary workaround for some users.
4. Use the Trackpad Instead of the Mouse
On Windows, some users have found that using the laptop's trackpad instead of an external mouse can bypass the issue.
- Try navigating and selecting cells using the trackpad to see if the problem persists.
This approach may be effective as the issue seems to be more prevalent with external mice.
Additional Observations
- Multiple Screens and Freeze Panes: Using multiple monitors or the Freeze Panes feature in Excel has been associated with the issue. Some users have reported that the problem occurs more frequently under these conditions.
- Excel Window Resizing: Changing the size of the Excel window can sometimes trigger the selection issue. Excel may use outdated window dimensions to calculate pointer positions, leading to misalignment.
- Touchscreen Devices: On devices with touchscreens, disabling the touchscreen functionality has helped some users resolve the issue. This can be done through the Device Manager in Windows.
Summary
While these workarounds have provided temporary relief for some users, the underlying issue remains unresolved. Additionally, keeping Excel and your system drivers up to date may help mitigate the issue.
To clarify, I'm just a simple user like everyone else in this forum, just trying to offer help for self-help. If it's accepted, I'm happy, and if not, that's fine too.
But I still hope this helps at least a little bit 🙂.
On my side we've tried almost all the above options but to no avail. However, I note the mention of disabling touchpad, and this was something I started experimenting with yesterday and which I will be checking further. It would be a problem for me if this were a solution, as I use the touchpad and a trackball mouse, for accessibility and convenience reasons. But if it solved it, it could be useful when working on certain worksheets where it's most essential to avoid the error (i.e. where it's crucial I don't miss Excel damaging my data without my realising it).
People have indeed found various ways to reset the issue, but these are of course a massive inconvenience to have to keep actioning, repeatedly. My solution of fast up-down touchpad scroll is perhaps the best I've found, but it's still galling.
Microsoft need to respect paying customers, their quality of life, and their mental health, and fix the problem. It's very much changed how I feel about my work, and for that, I have to say I despise Microsoft.
From what you’ve described, the touchpad seems to be a critical variable—disabling it might temporarily stop the misalignment, but at a huge cost to accessibility and workflow. The fast up-down scroll trick is clever as a workaround, but I get why it feels galling—no one should have to work around a core function just to avoid silent data corruption.
This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s impacting your trust in the software and your sense of control over your work.
If it helps, here are some nuanced strategies people have tried when they can’t disable the touchpad entirely:
Use a separate dedicated device for high-risk worksheets – For certain files where accuracy is critical, some users temporarily switch to a different PC or laptop without a touchpad, so the issue doesn’t even have a chance to trigger.
Virtual machine / sandbox environment – Running Excel in a VM or remote desktop session can sometimes isolate input issues, because the VM can ignore the touchpad input entirely.
Macro or monitoring workaround – Some advanced users set up a simple VBA script that warns or locks the worksheet if unexpected cell selections occur. It’s not perfect, but it can prevent silent mistakes.
High DPI / display scaling adjustments – Oddly enough, some users find toggling Windows display scaling between 100%, 125%, or 150% can influence how Excel interprets pointer locations, even with touchpads.
The core truth is what you’re expressing: until Microsoft directly fixes this, any “solution” is a compromise between convenience and safety.
Thank you. Out of interest, which AI chat tool are you using for your responses? I use Gemini, is this same for you?
I use several AI tools where I can compare and check, and then combine them with my own comments or experience. It doesn't always work; sometimes I have to teach the AIs how to solve certain problems, and sometimes they give me a different idea or approach that I hadn't considered at the time. In any case, in the end, everyone learned something 🙂.