Forum Discussion
Unbelievable mess in Excel files: rows show upside down.
What is happening here? My rows in Excel show upside down (see bellow). Sometimes it disappeared and became normal after scrolling, but this time it stays like you see on the attachment. What can I do? My MacOS is Sequoia 15.7.3 and Microsoft Excel is version 15.28 (16115).
What you are seeing…
This is not:
- reversed sorting
- a formatting option
- RTL / language issue
- corrupted workbook
It is a GPU rendering failure in Excel.
In your screenshot:
- Entire row contents are vertically flipped
- Gridlines and selection boxes are normal
- Different Excel windows render differently at the same time
- Scrolling sometimes fixes it → classic redraw bug
This is exactly what happens when old Excel uses deprecated graphics code on modern macOS.
Why scrolling sometimes “fixes” it
Scrolling forces:
- buffer flush
- full redraw
- reallocation of the backing store
Sometimes the GPU cache realigns. Sometimes it doesn’t — as in your screenshot.
What you can do as a temporary workaround
These may reduce how often it happens, but won’t eliminate it.
1. Set zoom to exactly 100%
Avoid 90%, 110%, “Fit to window”, etc.
2. Force redraw
- Minimize Excel → restore
- Or switch to another app → back
- Or resize the window slightly
3. Reduce motion (helps some Macs)
System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Reduce motion
Restart Excel afterward.
4. Avoid multiple Excel windows
Your screenshot shows two Excel windows — this increases redraw bugs in old builds.
What will actually fix it (permanently)
Upgrade Excel
Any of these will solve it:
- Microsoft 365 (current Excel) ← best
- Excel 2021 or newer
They:
- use Metal correctly
- are tested on Sequoia
- no upside-down rendering
What will NOT help
- Reinstalling Excel 15.28
- Repairing Office
- Reinstalling macOS
- Changing fonts
- Rebuilding the file
The bug is architectural, not file-related.
Bottom line
Your data is fine.
Your files are fine.
Your Mac is fine.Excel 2016 (Excel version 15.28 (16115) is Excel 2016) is simply incompatible with macOS Sequoia, and the upside-down rows are a textbook GPU rendering bug.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
2 Replies
What you are seeing…
This is not:
- reversed sorting
- a formatting option
- RTL / language issue
- corrupted workbook
It is a GPU rendering failure in Excel.
In your screenshot:
- Entire row contents are vertically flipped
- Gridlines and selection boxes are normal
- Different Excel windows render differently at the same time
- Scrolling sometimes fixes it → classic redraw bug
This is exactly what happens when old Excel uses deprecated graphics code on modern macOS.
Why scrolling sometimes “fixes” it
Scrolling forces:
- buffer flush
- full redraw
- reallocation of the backing store
Sometimes the GPU cache realigns. Sometimes it doesn’t — as in your screenshot.
What you can do as a temporary workaround
These may reduce how often it happens, but won’t eliminate it.
1. Set zoom to exactly 100%
Avoid 90%, 110%, “Fit to window”, etc.
2. Force redraw
- Minimize Excel → restore
- Or switch to another app → back
- Or resize the window slightly
3. Reduce motion (helps some Macs)
System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Reduce motion
Restart Excel afterward.
4. Avoid multiple Excel windows
Your screenshot shows two Excel windows — this increases redraw bugs in old builds.
What will actually fix it (permanently)
Upgrade Excel
Any of these will solve it:
- Microsoft 365 (current Excel) ← best
- Excel 2021 or newer
They:
- use Metal correctly
- are tested on Sequoia
- no upside-down rendering
What will NOT help
- Reinstalling Excel 15.28
- Repairing Office
- Reinstalling macOS
- Changing fonts
- Rebuilding the file
The bug is architectural, not file-related.
Bottom line
Your data is fine.
Your files are fine.
Your Mac is fine.Excel 2016 (Excel version 15.28 (16115) is Excel 2016) is simply incompatible with macOS Sequoia, and the upside-down rows are a textbook GPU rendering bug.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
You are EPIC!
