Why does my spreadsheet open "scrambled"?

[DianeDennis]

Hello all you wonderful experts! Thank you so much for all the help you all give me!

I'm back with more trouble... ;)

I'm using Microsoft 365 on Windows 10. I've created an Excel spreadsheet and it's got some weird things going on.

I've set all four margins at .5.

"Scale to Fit" is set to "Automatic" for both Width and Height and 100% for "Scale".

Part One:

When I open it in Excel, the top margin is displaying larger than .5, and row numbers 4 through 9 are "missing" (but the rows are still there because everything in those rows is present on the screen).

After I took the above screenshot and went back to the spreadsheet, the top margin was still larger than .5 but the row numbers 4 through 9 are appearing now.

I then went to File > Print and the margin is correct even though it displayed incorrectly in the above image, prior to selecting Print.

I then went back to the spreadsheet by clicking the back arrow in the Print dialogue and the margin is now displaying correctly.

This happens haphazardly but more often than not.

Part Two:

Sometimes the layout of the form itself is messed up, rows missing, lines shifted, cells appearing oddly but every time I try to get a screenshot, the form corrects itself as soon as I click on the "Snip & Sketch" icon in my taskbar (so I took a picture with my phone). Also showing are the messed up row numbers (38 and 39 showing twice).

When I scroll down and then back up on the spreadsheet that weirdness has corrected itself but row numbers are missing now (but the rows are technically still there because everything in the rows is still appearing on the screen)

Part Three:

I can enter 6 lines of text in this box and it displays fine...

But when I go to print it, it cuts off the 6th row of text.

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Other than Part Three where the 6th row of text is cut off when printing, everything else prints fine even though it displays oddly at times. It happens not just on my computer but on others' computers as well.

Any idea what I can do to fix these issues?

Thank you so much!! :)

[#2]

@DianeDennis 

It sounds like you are experiencing some formatting and display issues in your Excel spreadsheet. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve these issues:

1. Update Excel: Ensure that your Microsoft 365 subscription is up to date and that you have installed the latest updates for Excel. Sometimes, software updates include bug fixes and improvements that can address display and formatting issues.
2. Check Compatibility Mode: If you are working with a spreadsheet created in an older version of Excel, it might be opening in Compatibility Mode, which can cause display inconsistencies. Try saving the file in the current Excel format (.xlsx) to ensure compatibility with the latest version.
3. Reset Display Settings: Excel may sometimes encounter display glitches due to temporary issues with its display settings. Try resetting the display settings by going to "File" > "Options" > "Advanced" > Scroll down to the "Display" section > Click on "Reset Display" or "Reset All".
4. Check Printer Settings: The issue with the 6th row of text being cut off during printing could be related to printer settings. Ensure that the print area is properly defined and that the page layout settings match your intended print layout. You can adjust these settings by going to the "Page Layout" tab and selecting "Print Area" or adjusting the print settings in the print preview window.
5. Test on Different Computers: Since you mentioned that the issues occur on multiple computers, it's possible that the spreadsheet itself is corrupted or has compatibility issues with certain system configurations. Try opening the spreadsheet on a different computer to see if the issues persist. If the issues occur consistently across different computers, it may indicate a problem with the spreadsheet file.
6. Check for Add-Ins: Sometimes, third-party add-ins or plugins can interfere with Excel's functionality and cause display issues. Try disabling any add-ins you have installed and see if the problem persists.
7. Repair Office Installation: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, you can try repairing your Office installation. Access the Control Panel on your computer, navigate to "Programs" > "Programs and Features," find Microsoft Office 365, select it, and click on "Change" or "Repair" to initiate the repair process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair. The text and steps were created with the help of AI.

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Hope this will help you.

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[#3 · Accepted solution]

@NikolinoDE 

Hi and thank you so much for your time on this. :) I followed all of your suggestions and numbered my responses below to correspond with your numbered suggestions. I've also included some temporary solutions at the bottom, along with a follow-up question. :)

1. I updated Excel (even though it says it does it automatically) and it still isn't displaying correctly.

2. They were created in the current version (no compatibility mode) and are .xlsx

3. There's no option there to reset display settings. Do you know where else I can look for that option?

4. All of the printer settings that you mentioned are, and were, correct.

5. As mentioned, it is happening on other computers. Is there a way to determine if there's a problem with the file and if so, what the problem is? There are two of them that it's happening to and much was copied from one file to the other so I'm sure it's possible that I duplicated the problem from file to file.

6. I have one add-in but there's no option to disable or delete it, only to hide it. When I click the "Money in Excel" link it goes to a 404 page. Any idea what to do about that, how to delete it?

7. I followed the steps and repaired the installation. The problem is still there. 

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TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS:

Re the weird display issues: When I change the View from "Page Layout" to "Normal", then save and close the file, then reopen it, the odd display doesn't happen. The print issue is still there (the 6th row being cut off) but all the other weirdness doesn't happen. It was ChatGPT that suggested that possibility.

Re the 6th row displaying but getting cut off in printing: When I increase the font size in that field from 8 to 9, I can fit 5 rows of text and they all print, nothing gets cut off like the 6th line that displayed but didn't print when the font size was 8 instead of 9 (I hope that makes sense).

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QUESTION:

Do I need to circle back to #5 and suspect that there's a problem with the files? If so, is there a way to determine if there is an issue with the file and what the issue is?

Thank you again so much for your help and time on this!! :)