Office for Mac Issues

Fix Left Arrow Key Not Working in Word or Excel on Mac

Bushra Parveen Sep 29, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is experiencing an issue where the left arrow key fails to work specifically within Microsoft Word and Excel on a Mac, despite functioning normally in other macOS applications.

How to Fix Left Arrow Key Not Working in Word or Excel on Mac

Product: Microsoft Word and Excel
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Navigating text, moving between spreadsheet cells, or editing documents in Office apps.
Observed behavior: The left arrow key is completely unresponsive or performs an incorrect action in Word and Excel, likely intercepted by system shortcuts, background utilities, or corrupted preference files.

Before you start

Before diving into specific application settings, verify that your keyboard physically works by testing the left arrow key in standard Apple apps like Notes or Safari, and try performing a simple restart of your Mac.

Solution 1Recommended

Update Office and Close Conflicting Utilities

Updating your software and closing third-party background applications can resolve input interception issues.

Often, third-party utilities designed to remap keys or manage window layouts can unintentionally hijack keystrokes intended for Microsoft Office.

Restart the Applications

Completely quit Microsoft Word and Excel by pressing Cmd + Q, then reopen the applications to see if the key functions properly.

Update Microsoft 365

Open Word or Excel, navigate to Help > Check for Updates in the top menu bar, and install any available updates to ensure you have the latest bug fixes.

Disable Third-Party Utilities

Temporarily quit any keyboard-mapping, clipboard-management, or text-expansion apps (like Magnet, BetterTouchTool, or TextExpander) running in your menu bar, then test the left arrow key again.

Update Office and Close Conflicting Utilities

Safe Mode Testing: You can boot your Mac in Safe Mode to easily determine if a background utility is causing the keyboard conflict. If it works in Safe Mode, a startup item is likely the culprit.

Solution 2

Check macOS Keyboard and Accessibility Settings

Ensure that system-level accessibility features or customized shortcuts are not overriding the arrow keys.

Solution 3

Reset Microsoft Office Preferences

Clearing corrupted preference files can resolve persistent application-specific glitches in Word and Excel.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for a Glitch-Free Experience on Mac

If Microsoft Word and Excel frequently experience annoying keyboard glitches or formatting issues on your Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible, and smooth document editing experience without the hassle of corrupted preference files or hijacked shortcuts.

1. Download the Mac Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the macOS installation package.
2. Install WPS Office: Open the downloaded file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Applications folder.
3. Open Your Files Seamlessly: Launch WPS Office and directly open your existing Word or Excel files to continue working without keyboard navigation issues.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptxLightweight architecture that runs smoothly on all macOS versionsFamiliar tabbed interface requiring absolutely no learning curveFree to download and use for essential document, spreadsheet, and presentation tasks

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the left arrow key only stop working in Word and Excel?

Microsoft Office uses its own dedicated layer of keyboard shortcut handling, which can occasionally conflict with macOS accessibility features, background clipboard managers, or become unresponsive if the Office preference files get corrupted.

Can a Bluetooth keyboard cause this specific issue on Mac?

While possible, if the left arrow key works perfectly in built-in apps like Safari or Notes using the same Bluetooth keyboard, the hardware connection is fine. The issue is isolated to software conflicts within Microsoft Office itself.

Will completely reinstalling Microsoft Office fix the arrow key issue?

Reinstalling might help, but simply resetting the application preference files in your Mac's Library folder is usually much faster and effectively solves the problem without requiring a full uninstallation and re-download.

Does Scroll Lock affect the arrow keys in Excel for Mac?

Yes, if Scroll Lock is accidentally enabled, using the arrow keys will scroll the entire spreadsheet canvas instead of moving the selection between individual cells. Check if your keyboard has a Scroll Lock key, or try using the Shift + F14 shortcut to toggle it off.

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