Cell focus in Numbers

Sharing a numbers file between two Macbooks. On one laptop (M1 2020), the arrow keys move around the sheets normally, allowing me to scroll between cells. On the other laptop (Macbook Pro 15, 2016), when I use the touchpad to select a cell, the entire range of cells gets a dark green line around them, and using the arrow keys moves a light green "cursor" around the sheet, but doesn't change cell selection. Using the return key DOES move sell selection down one row.


How do I change the behavior of the 2nd laptop back to "normal" cursor movement with the arrow keys?

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Feb 1, 2025 2:00 PM

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Feb 3, 2025 3:46 PM in response to SGIII

My ancient Macbook is running Monterey 12.7.6, and Numbers 13.1. As up-to-date as they can be.


The problem just started about a week or so ago, so it's not an issue with being updated, me thinks. I'm thinking it's a setting within Numbers itself that perhaps we changed inadvertently.


In years past, selecting one cell did NOT draw a dark green box around the entirety of all cells, and prevent the arrow keys from scrolling thru the cells. Now, the selected cell retains a light green box around it, but using the arrow keys to attempt to move around the sheet highlights the new cells with a light green background, but if I type, it only affects the originally selected (with the mouse) cell.



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Feb 4, 2025 3:42 PM in response to SGIII

All accessibility settings are the same on both Macbooks. I suspect it has something to do within Numbers simply because the issue only happens in Numbers. Arrow key operation works just fine when using Excel (or any other program/app).



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Feb 5, 2025 2:26 AM in response to F6Hawk

F6Hawk wrote:

All accessibility settings are the same on both Macbooks.


Possibly, but I referred not to Accessibility but to Appearance.


About time to consider moving to reasonably up-to-date hardware that can run the latest software?


SG

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Mar 4, 2025 3:40 AM in response to F6Hawk

F6Hawk wrote:

Yes, because spending $1500 to replace an older macbook is what will fix a software issue? Not a good solution


Not sure what you are saying. In general if you want a decent experience using the software then you need to have hardware that can support it.


That's just a fact of life with computers, especially in the Apple ecosystem, where backwards compatibility is less of a priority than in other operating systems with a heavy emphasis on supporting large institutional environments.


SG

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Cell focus in Numbers

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