Suddenly unable to use text boxes/combo boxes on my computer

[eawesley]

Hi, everyone. This is my first time posting here. Browsing this website I've found a lot of useful solutions in the past. I'm hoping someone can help me with an issue I'm having.

I am using Excel 2016. I have a couple of macro-enabled files I use frequently at work. They have always worked fine on my computer, until yesterday.

In the past when I would make a selection from a drop-down menu, the excel cursor would change to a pointer when I hovered over the drop-down menu, and I could click on the menu and make my selection. Now, the cursor does not change to a pointer when I hover. Instead, when I click on the drop-down menu, the cursor changes to a four-headed arrow. This looks similar to Design mode. However, in Design mode the cursor changes automatically to a four-headed arrow when I hover, whereas now it changes only when I click on the drop-down menu. Also, the four-headed arrow does not allow me to move the menu at all. In fact, the four-headed arrow does not appear to interact with the menu in any way.

I have a similar problem with text boxes. If I click on a text box, the cursor changes to a four-headed arrow and does not interact with the text box at all.

This only appears to be a problem on my computer. On the other office computers I've tried, the files work as normal. If I take the copy of the file that is on my computer and transfer it to another computer, it works fine. I am not in design mode and, as far as I can tell, all of the proper security settings are enabled.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

[rorya]

This is a fairly common problem with activex controls, especially when office updates affect the library they are from. You'll need to search for and delete any .exd files on your computer. Better still, use Form controls or data validation instead if you can.

[eawesley]

Rory,

Thank you for your quick reply. I removed two .exd files and the problem is solved. Thanks for your help, you saved me a lot of frustration this week.

[rorya]

Glad to help. I'd still recommend avoiding them if you can.