5 Ways to Fix AutoFill Not Working in Microsoft Excel for Windows

Quick Tips

• Ensure that Excel is configured to calculate cells automatically and remove any unnecessary filters.
• If Autofill is not working only in a specific workbook, copy the data to a new Excel file.
• Consider running the Office repair tool if nothing else works.

Basic Fixes

• Try a different workbook: Testing the AutoFill feature in a different workbook will help determine if the issue is limited to a specific Excel file. In that case, consider copying the data to a new workbook.
• Check cell data and format: AutoFill may not work in Excel if your data does not have a consistent and recognizable pattern. For example, if you have a list of dates, ensure they are all in the same format.

Fix 1: Enable Fill Handle

To use the AutoFill feature in Excel, ensure the fill handle is enabled. If not, you will not see the small plus sign when you move your cursor towards the bottom right corner of a cell.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel and click the File menu at the top left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the left pane.

Step 3: Switch to the Advanced tab and tick the boxes for Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop and Alert before overwriting cells. Then, click OK.

Fix 2: Check Calculation Options

AutoFill in Excel can also help you apply the same formula to a series of cells. However, your formulas might not calculate the result if the automatic calculation option is not active in Excel.

Open Excel on your PC > click the Formulas tab > Calculation Options > select Automatic from the resulting menu. Once you do that, the AutoFill feature should work as expected.

Fix 3: Remove Unnecessary Filters

Applying filters in your Excel sheet can also prevent the AutoFill feature from working. This is because Excel only considers the visible cells when filling in data, leading to unexpected results. Try removing unwanted filters in Excel and see if that fixes the issue.

Open your Excel sheet and switch to the Data tab. In the Sort & Filter section, click on Clear. After that, see if the AutoFill feature works.

Fix 4: Use the Fill Command

Although clicking and dragging cells is the most typical method of utilizing the AutoFill feature, it’s not the only one. You can try the Fill command in the Home tab to see if that works.

Open your Excel sheet > select the cell with the data and the adjacent cells you want to fill. Under the Home tab, click the Fill option in the Editing section > choose the type of fill you want to use.

Fix 5: Run the Office Repair Tool

Microsoft includes a handy repair tool for fixing various issues with Office apps. You can try running this tool to see if it makes the AutoFill feature work in Microsoft Excel.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Programs and Features window, locate and select the Office suite or Microsoft 365 on the list. Then, click on Change at the top.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and click Repair.