Forum Discussion
Tabs in Excel Online worksheet move unexpectedly
tstrueby , you may open that workbook in desktop client and protect the structure (Review->Protect Workbook)
That could be a bug, but having up to hundred sheets ans 50 users they could move sheets unintentionally from time to time, it's easy to drag jumping from one sheet to another.
SergeiBaklan Doesn't matter if the sheets are protected. The tabs still move. Another thing that happens is that even though I save and save the spreadsheet on a specific tab and for it to open at the top (ie, show from cell A1), the sheet(s) will ultimately open way over in blank cells like CD55. Neither spreadsheet has more than 15 tabs. So far I am not very impressed with online Excel. Too many features are lacking and the collaboration portion has caused more stress and jumping through hoops.
kstone7_iuh I've been having the same problem (tabs moving around, yes... but more importantly, the focus cell randomly moving to a blank area of the sheet) pretty much since Day 1 of using Excel Online (probably around 6 years ago).
Honestly, I can deal with the tabs moving around--not ideal, but also just a minor annoyance. Luckily none of my tabs' positions are critical to the functionality of the workbook. And it doesn't seem to be as prevalent a problem as before, so it seems like they've at least tried to fix this.
However, the fact that every time I move to a different tab, then move back to the tab I was just on and suddenly I'm in a cell several hundred rows below where I just was two seconds ago is infuriating and such a waste of my time. I'm constantly scrolling up and over or hitting Ctrl+Up to find my place again.
Microsoft, please develop a fix for this NOW!
SergeiBaklan We have a smaller organization and we are having the exact same issue with tabs moving. we only have about 5 people in a document at once and unless we lock the document, tabs move randomly. Highly irritating because having to unlock and password protect each tab to work in them isn't efficient.
SergeiBaklanI've encountered the same problem, and I've been searching for a solution for months. I'm one of only two users in the spreadsheet where it happens most frequently, so I am certain it's not another user moving tabs. Like the OP I've tried to recreate the problem but have been unsuccessful. I'll be in one tab, entering data, then I'll click over to another program (check my email, for example). When I click back to Excel Online, I'm still in the same tab. But as soon as I click a different tab, the old tab moves next to the new tab I clicked on, and I'm forced to drag it back where it belongs. Locking the sheet isn't an option for me, as worksheets must be added and removed frequently.
Just wanted to add my voice to others having this problem.
Also having this same issue with shared Excel files in OneDrive
SergeiBaklanI'm having the same issue however I can't lock the workbook this way as other users in my organisation need to add tabs. Not only do tabs randomly move somewhere else in the workbook but when we open a workbook, the view is an inactive part of a random tab with empty cells.
When working offline previously we could save a workbook on the appropriate section of a tab and the recipient would see this when they open. I cannot work out how to do the same with the online version.
SergeiBaklanOh good tip about protecting the structure, thanks
Thanks, SergeiBaklan ! I took a rip at the Protect Workbook option on my desktop Excel and it does look like it will accomplish what I want to do. Thanks for that tip!
However, I still think there is some obscure key combination in Excel Online that causes tabs to move around unexpectedly. I am confident that our user base is not intentionally dragging sheets to random locations but I cannot recreate the key sequence that causes it.
I have seen times in this Excel Online worksheet when the cursor is not the standard pointer shape but is instead stuck in the "pointing finger" shape which is exactly the same shape it is when you hold down the left mouse button to drag a tab around in the worksheet. I am not sure what causes the cursor to suddenly change to this pointing finger shape but I do know that once it is in that shape and you click on a different tab of the worksheet, the current sheet you have open moves next to the tab you just clicked. That is almost certainly what is causing the issue but I cannot recreate the situation that causes the cursor to suddenly switch to a frozen pointing finger (sorry for the deep level of technical jargon on this description!).
Any thoughts on this theory and a possible cause/resolution?
Thanks!
