Auto Fill Options unavailable

Brass Contributor

Anyone know why the Auto Fill Options have stopped working. There are no filters being used. The sheet uses VBA code. On the same workbook other pages can use auto fill.

 

 

4 Replies
If the Auto Fill Options have stopped working in a specific sheet of your workbook that uses VBA code, there could be a few potential reasons for this issue. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

Check the VBA Code: Review the VBA code in the sheet where Auto Fill is not working. Make sure there are no code errors or conflicts that could interfere with the Auto Fill functionality. Look for any code that may be disabling or modifying the behavior of AutoFill.

Enable Auto Fill Options: Verify that the Auto Fill Options are enabled in Excel. To do this, go to the "File" tab, click on "Options," then select the "Advanced" tab. Scroll down to the "Editing options" section and ensure that the "Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop" option is checked.

Clear any Applied Filters: Even if you don't see any filters applied, it's possible that there could be hidden filters affecting the Auto Fill functionality. To clear any applied filters, select the entire data range, go to the "Data" tab, and click on the "Clear" button in the "Sort & Filter" group. Choose "Clear Filters" to remove any hidden filters that may be interfering with Auto Fill.

Test on a New Workbook: Create a new workbook and try using Auto Fill in a similar scenario without VBA code. This will help determine if the issue is specific to the workbook or if it's a more general problem with Excel or your computer.

Update or Repair Excel: Ensure that you have the latest updates installed for Excel. If the issue persists, you can try repairing your Office installation through the Control Panel (Windows) or the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool (Mac).
I appears the VBA code is the problem. I copied the sheet and removed the code and Auto Fill Option displayed.
The code:

Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
Dim MyColor As Long
MyColor = RGB(224, 255, 224) ' a light green - change as desired
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
' Clear the color of all the cells
Cells.Interior.ColorIndex = xlColorIndexNone
With ActiveCell
' Highlight the entire row and column that contain the active cell
.EntireRow.Interior.Color = MyColor
.EntireColumn.Interior.Color = MyColor
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Ok, the VBA code you provided is a Worksheet_SelectionChange event handler that highlights the entire row and column of the active cell with a light green color. It seems that this code is causing the issue you mentioned.

If you want to enable the Auto Fill Options menu, you can remove or modify the code that interferes with it. In this case, you can remove the Worksheet_SelectionChange event handler.

To remove the event handler follow these points

Open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor by pressing Alt+F11 in Excel.
In the Project Explorer window (if not visible, press Ctrl+R to show it), find the worksheet that contains the code.
Double-click on the worksheet to open its code module.
Delete the entire code within the module (the code you provided in your question).
After removing the code, the Auto Fill Options menu should reappear. If you need to retain the functionality provided by the code but still want to use the Auto Fill Options, you may need to modify the code to ensure it doesn't interfere with the menu.

@Rahul-kumar I experience the same problem with Office 365's AutoFill: My code works 100% in Excel 2007. I have just renewed my Office 365 license on another computer and transferred the file to the computer with 365. The AutoFill works on Excel 2007, but not on 365: Exact same file, exact same code..? I checked the settings -all OK. When I test the AutoFill code with a new macro on a blank part of the same sheet, it works, but I just can't get it to work in the macro where it gives that Error 1004 AutoFill method failure..? What's funny, is that it does the AutoFill perfectly, but then give this error message after it did the autofill, and then stops the rest of the macro's code to execute..? I cannot understand why the code works 100% in an old 2007 version of Excel and not in the latest version..? It is like Microsoft evolution is going backwards..?