Single Clicking Enters Edit Mode

Just recently, David noticed that when he clicks on a cell, Excel goes into edit mode. It used to be that he needed to double-click to enter edit mode, so David is wondering how to correct this change.

Excel is designed to allow you to edit a cell by double-clicking on that cell. (The caveat here is that if the cell contains a hyperlink, then double-clicking will activate the hyperlink.) If Excel is entering edit mode when you just click on the cell once, then there are three possibilities.

First, it could be that you are not really "single clicking." This is a real possibility if you have a brand-new mouse or if you are using a new installation of Windows. This is because Windows has a setting that controls "double-click speed" for the mouse. If this setting is misadjusted for the way you use the mouse, Windows could easily be misinterpreting what you think is a "single click" as a "double click." Take a dive into the Window Control Panel and, with some testing, you can figure out if the mouse settings in Windows are affecting the behavior of the mouse within Excel.

Of course, it could also be that your mouse is starting to malfunction. If the mouse is older, then the circuitry within the mouse could be causing it to generate double-clicks even when you are only clicking once. This is an easy check, though, if you have a spare mouse sitting around—just swap out the mouse, restart Excel, and see if the problem goes away.

If you rule out a mouse problem and check that the Windows settings are correct, then you may need to repair Excel, particularly if you are using Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find instructions on how to do that at this Microsoft website:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b

Before finishing, it should be noted that there is a setting within Excel that allows you to specify whether you can edit cell contents directly within a cell or not:

1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 and later versions, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
2. Click the Advanced option at the left of the dialog box.
3. Check whether the Allow Editing Directly In Cells check box is selected or not.

This setting controls where editing takes place—in the cell or in the Formula bar. With the check box selected, double-clicking a cell allows you to edit the contents of the cell, which is the default behavior already described. Turning the setting off means double-clicking a cell does nothing.

So, this setting doesn't seem to be connected to David's issue because where editing occurs isn't the issue. His issue is the behavior of a single mouse click versus a double mouse click.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10153) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021.