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How to Fix Excel for iPad Autofill Suggestions Not Selecting
Question details
Users are unable to select autofill or autocomplete suggestions in Excel for iPad, with the menu frequently becoming stuck on the screen.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel for iPad
- Device & OS
- iPadOS
- Scenario
- Entering data and attempting to use autofill or autocomplete suggestions on an iPad.
- Observed behavior
- The autofill suggestions cannot be tapped or selected, and the suggestion menu remains on the screen, requiring several taps to disappear.
Before beginning troubleshooting, make sure to save your current workbook and verify that it is synced to OneDrive or iCloud to prevent data loss.
Update Software and Restart iPad
Updating both the app and operating system often resolves touch unresponsiveness and visual glitches.
Autofill menus becoming unresponsive is frequently caused by a known bug in older versions of Excel or a temporary iPadOS rendering glitch.
Open the App Store on your iPad, tap your profile icon at the top right, and check if there is an update available for Microsoft Excel. Tap 'Update' if present.
Go to the iPad Settings app, navigate to 'General', and tap 'Software Update' to ensure your operating system is fully up to date.
Press and hold the power button and either volume button until the slider appears, then slide to power off. Wait a few seconds and power the iPad back on.
Open a new Excel workbook to verify if the autocomplete suggestions can now be selected properly without sticking to the screen.
Review Preferences and Reinstall Excel
Clearing out corrupted application settings by reviewing preferences and reinstalling can fix persistent UI bugs.
Contact Microsoft Support
If reinstalling does not solve the issue, escalating the bug to Microsoft Support is required.
Enjoy a Smooth Mobile Spreadsheet Experience with WPS Office
If Excel's autofill suggestions remain stuck or unresponsive on your iPad, WPS Office provides a highly optimized, lightweight alternative for tablet users. Create, edit, and analyze data efficiently without frustrating touch bugs.
- 1. Download for Free: Search for WPS Office in the iPad App Store and download the lightweight application for free.
- 2. Open Your Files: Log in and instantly open your existing Excel workbooks with perfect formatting and layout compatibility.
- 3. Use Responsive Autofill: Select cells and drag the fill handle to experience smooth, bug-free data entry and autofill directly on your tablet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the autofill suggestion menu stay stuck on my iPad screen?
This is typically caused by a rendering glitch between Excel and the iPadOS interface. It often occurs when either the app itself or the operating system is out of date and needs a patch.
Will reinstalling Excel for iPad delete my saved spreadsheets?
If your files are securely synced to OneDrive, iCloud, or SharePoint, they will not be lost. However, any workbooks saved strictly to the local 'On My iPad' folder within the Excel directory should be backed up to a cloud service before deleting the app.
How do I turn off autocomplete in Excel for iPad?
While the mobile application has fewer settings than the desktop version, you can manage autocomplete settings by opening the app Settings from your profile icon and navigating to the Edit or Typing preferences to disable the feature.
