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How to Disable Formula Suggestions and ScreenTips in Excel

Elise WilliamsElise Williams Sep 27, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to stop the application from automatically displaying formula suggestions and Insert Formulas tooltips when typing an equals sign.

How to Disable Formula Suggestions and ScreenTips in Excel
Product
Microsoft Excel
Device & OS
not provided
Scenario
Entering data or formulas into spreadsheet cells without unwanted auto-complete interruptions.
Observed behavior
Excel automatically shows function ScreenTips and a Formula AutoComplete drop-down list as soon as an equals sign is typed.
Before you start

Ensure you have your spreadsheet application open on your desktop, as these adjustments must be made within the global options menu.

Solution 1Recommended

Turn Off Formula AutoComplete and Function ScreenTips

Modify the advanced settings to prevent formula suggestions and tooltips from appearing when typing.

By adjusting the built-in Display and Formula settings, you can completely disable the pop-ups that appear when you start typing an equation.

1
Open Options

Launch Microsoft Excel, click on the File tab located in the top-left corner of the ribbon, and select Options at the bottom of the menu.

2
Access Advanced Settings

In the Options dialog box that appears, click on Advanced in the left-hand navigation pane.

3
Disable Function ScreenTips

Scroll down the right pane until you find the Display section. Uncheck the box labeled Show function ScreenTips.

4
Disable Formula AutoComplete

Scroll to the Formulas section and uncheck the Formula AutoComplete option. Click OK at the bottom to save your changes and return to your worksheet.

Turn Off Formula AutoComplete and Function ScreenTips
Unidentified Tooltips: If you are referring to a different pop-up button rather than the standard equals-sign suggestions, the specific setting to disable it might be located in a different section of the Options menu.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do formula suggestions appear when I type an equals sign?

By default, spreadsheet applications use a feature called Formula AutoComplete to help users quickly find and insert the correct functions. This feature triggers automatically as soon as it detects an equals sign, which indicates the start of a formula.

Will disabling Formula AutoComplete stop my formulas from calculating?

No, disabling Formula AutoComplete only hides the drop-down suggestion list while you type. As long as you type the formulas correctly, they will continue to calculate normally.

How do I turn Formula AutoComplete back on?

You can easily re-enable it by navigating back to File > Options > Advanced, and checking the Formula AutoComplete box under the Formulas section, as well as the Show function ScreenTips box under the Display section.