How to Fix a White Box Appearing While Typing in Excel
Question details
Users need to resolve a display glitch where a white box blocks the view of existing content when entering data into an Excel cell.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Entering or editing data within Excel cells.
- Observed behavior
- A white box appears over two spaces, obscuring the text and making it difficult to see what is currently being typed in the spreadsheet.
Save your current work and verify if the white box issue happens in just one specific spreadsheet or across all new Excel workbooks.
Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins
Running Excel in Safe Mode bypasses add-ins and custom settings, helping identify if a third-party extension is causing the white box display glitch.
Many Excel rendering issues, such as white boxes appearing over cells, are caused by conflicting third-party COM add-ins. Safe Mode launches Excel without these add-ins, allowing you to isolate the problem.
Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Type 'excel /safe' and press Enter.
Open a blank workbook and start typing in a cell to see if the white box still appears. If it does not appear, an add-in is likely the cause.
Go to File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom of the window, select 'COM Add-ins' from the Manage dropdown menu and click 'Go'.
Uncheck all active add-ins in the list and click OK. Restart Excel normally to see if the issue is resolved.
Repair or Update Microsoft Office
If the issue persists in Safe Mode, your Office installation might be corrupted or outdated, requiring a repair or an update.
Switch to WPS Office to Avoid Excel Rendering Issues
If Microsoft Excel continues to show graphical glitches like white boxes while typing, consider trying WPS Office. It is a free, lightweight alternative that provides excellent stability without heavy resource usage or complex add-in conflicts.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package for your device.
- 2. Install the software: Run the installer and follow the quick setup wizard to install WPS Spreadsheets.
- 3. Open your Excel files: Right-click your existing .xlsx or .xls files and select 'Open with WPS Office' to continue your work without visual glitches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a white box suddenly appear when I type in Excel?
This graphical glitch is often caused by conflicting COM add-ins, hardware acceleration issues, or a corrupted Office installation. It blocks the cell view and disrupts data entry.
Will updating Excel fix the white box typing issue?
Yes, sometimes the issue is a known bug in a specific version of Excel. Updating to the latest version via File > Account > Update Options can apply the necessary bug fixes provided by Microsoft.
Does hardware graphic acceleration affect typing in Excel cells?
Yes, hardware acceleration can sometimes cause rendering issues like white boxes or screen tearing. You can try disabling it in Excel by going to File > Options > Advanced > Display, and checking 'Disable hardware graphics acceleration' if the option is available in your version.
