Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Canceling an Edit.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 6, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
As you are entering information in a cell, you may want to cancel what you are entering. For instance, you may have selected the wrong cell before you started typing, and you want to "back out" of the edit you are making.
There are two ways you can do this. The first is to simply press the Esc key and the other is to click on the X just to the left of the Formula bar. (In Excel 2007 and Excel 2010 the X only appears after you start typing. In Excel 2013 and later versions the X is always visible, but it is only clickable after you start typing.) Regardless of the method you choose, Excel undoes your changes and returns the cell to its state just before you started typing.
If you make a mistake and press Enter, Excel replaces the contents of the cell with whatever you were typing. To undo this, you should use the Undo feature of Excel: simply press Ctrl+Z or click on the Undo tool at the top-left corner of the program window.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (10630) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Canceling an Edit.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2019 For Dummies today!
Want a really easy way to create a selection of a group of cells? Discover how to use the Extend key to make this task ...
Discover MoreWhen pasting information into a worksheet, Excel tries to helpfully convert that information. This can cause undesired ...
Discover MoreIf you have a worksheet that contains a bunch of cells that contain nothing but spaces, you may be looking for a way to ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments