Excel on my iPad does not respond to my keystrokes, it seems frozen.

Charles McDaniel 0 Reputation points
2026-06-23T11:51:06.1+00:00

When I open excel on my IPad and I attempt to enter data, excel does not respond with my keystrokes. I close Excel and reopen. On occasion this eliminates the problem. I have noticed at times that excel does not update on my other Apple devices.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | iOS
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  1. Norah-L 10,490 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-24T07:08:46.9666667+00:00

    Hello Charles

    From what you described, I understand that Excel on your iPad may stop responding when you try to type or enter data, as if the workbook becomes frozen. Closing and reopening Excel sometimes restores input temporarily.

    To narrow it down, please test whether the keyboard works in another app, then try a new blank Excel workbook and compare it with the affected file.

    If the keyboard works normally in other apps but Excel stops accepting input, it may be related to the Excel app, sync state, cached sign-in data, or app settings. In that situation, you can try these steps:

    • First, restart your iPad.
    • It would also be worth making sure Excel is updated on all your Apple devices. If the workbook is stored in Cloud/OneDrive, also confirm it has finished syncing. The fact that Excel does not always update across your other Apple devices may point to a sync or app-state issue.
    • If the issue continues, on the iPad, open Settings, scroll down to Excel or Microsoft 365, and check whether there is a Reset option. If available, reset cloud settings or sign-in credentials, then reopen Excel and sign in again.
    • If there is no reset option, uninstall and reinstall Excel from the App Store. This can refresh the app’s local data and settings.

    If the same issue also happens in other Office apps, such as Word or PowerPoint, please reply back and let me know and I’ll be glad to look into it further. In the meantime, you can use Excel for the web as a temporary workaround.


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