Problem with insertion cursor while using Numbers for Mac, Sierra.

Hey, Paul. You are NOT dim. You found out where the adjustment was, and fixed your problem. I think that was pretty bright!

~Barbara~

P.S. Please ignore my post about the Secondary click. It won't help you at all!😀

Have you tried quitting Numbers, restarting your machine, and trying again? That often clears up mysterious problems.

If restarting doesn't work then you could try signing in to your machine as another user and see if Numbers works there. If it does work when you sign in as another user you could try signing back in to your usual user account, in Finder holding down the option key and in the menu Go > Library > Preferences and deleting the Numbers preference file. Then launch Numbers again.

And if that doesn't work then you could try reinstalling Numbers. Go to the Numbers icon in Launchpad, hold the mouse button down until the icons "quiver", click the x by Numbers, and re-download Numbers from the Mac App Store.

SG

Just to make sure...

When you single click a cell that selects the cell. There will be no "I" cursor. The cell border will be highlighted to show the cell is selceted

when you double click a cell, then "I" cursor should appear in the cell when the cell DOES NOT contain a formula. If the cell does contain a formula, then, when you double click the cell, then formula editor should appear with the "I" cursor

Ok, first of all, thank you for your help. I tried closing numbers and restarting the computer, and that did not help. Then I tried to find the Numbers preferences file, but after I got to the Library, with the Option key held down, there were so many files, a few with Numbers in the title, and none which was obviously, to me, the Numbers Preferences file. So, because I am clearly not really that savvy, can you tell me what the exact title of that file would be, and the extension? Thanks.

Also, if I have to reinstall the Numbers, I can do that. But, will I lose all my spreadsheets that are in it now? Sorry, again. Still not savvy enough to know this either. I cannot afford to lose all my records.

And, to Wayne Contello, thanks for your suggestion/information. That did not work either. But I appreciate that you tried to help.

Any other information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, since this is really a PITA problem.

Thanks, everyone, for your replies and help.

P.S. I did something last night which enabled me to get the dreaded cursor there, purely by accident. I clicked on the box and then hit the Option and Spacebar at the same time. That cleared the box. Because I didn't want to lose it, I went up to Edit, chose Undo Typing, and the entry was back, but highlighted in blue. When I single clicked on the blue part, the cursor magically appeared and I could insert/delete, or whatever I needed to do without removing the entire contents of the box. I have no idea why this worked, but I do know that it is really time-consuming and not how I would prefer to be able to make my additions or partial changes. I am only telling you this because maybe it gives a hint of what is wrong in my Numbers program. Thanks again.

BarbaraJ wrote:

Ok, first of all, thank you for your help. I tried closing numbers and restarting the computer, and that did not help. Then I tried to find the Numbers preferences file,

Before messing with the preferences file, did you try signing in as another user on that Mac?

If you do sign in as another user and then find that Numbers does not work there either, then it's probably not a preferences thing. If Number does work, though, then that's a clue there may be something wrong with the preferences file in your normal user account.

In that case you could try deleting from the Preferences folder under your normal user account:

com.apple.iWork.Numbers.plist

com.apple.iWork.Numbers.LSSharedFileList.plist

On a Mac if you delete and reinstall Numbers you do not lose your documents.

SG

Ok, here are the results:

Created another user, signed in and realized I needed to save one of the files to iCloud, before I could open it as 1. another user. After that I went back to being me, did that, re-signed in as other User, opened the file, and same problem.

2. Then, as me, went to the Preferences file, and deleted the files you listed, plus one that was a plist.lock file (don't remember if it was the LSS Shared one or the other one. Sorry) Went back, opened numbers, and still have problem.

3. Then went to Launch Pad, deleted Numbers, went to App Store, found Numbers, and it only gave me the option to update it, so I did. No help.

My next question is that in going into my applications, etc., I found that in the iWork '09, there is the Numbers v.2.3 app. Should I remove that, also?

Again, many thanks. I am sorry to be so dense and dumb on all this.

Hi, again, and thanks for the reply.

And, apologies to Paul7071, who started this discussion. After I indicated that I, too, have this problem, I began receiving the answers to him that you all posted. Without invitation, I began posting replies to your answers, and I have realized that I usurped his discussion, so I am sorry, Paul7071.

SGIII, yes, I have been using Numbers since May 2011 (I went back to check) on a daily basis, and this problem started not too long ago. I cannot give a specific date, because when something goes wrong on the computer, I usually blame myself and continue to try to figure out what I am doing incorrectly. In this case, I guess I was wrong to do both. It is just something that some of us are experiencing. And, it cannot be fixed easily. Oh, how I wish that was not the case! I will continue to just deal with it by replacing everything in whatever box I need to, regardless of the time-consuming frustration it causes.

Thank you all for your suggestions. If you think of ANYthing (aside from getting a new computer) that might help, please respond here, and I will get notification of your post. Meanwhile, have a great weekend!

So when you start a new Numbers document you don't have a problem with that?

But when you open one existing Numbers document you do have a problem?

What happens when you click a cell once (only once, just to select it if it isn't already selected) and hit option-return (hold down the option key and then hit return)?

SG

Started a new Numbers document and have the same problem.

In both the old and new documents, if I click the cell only once, and hit Option-Return, the cell doubles in height. (That is in my top two rows, which are headings) In the body cells, it does bring in the "l" cursor. If I type or change the entry in the cell, then hit Return or Tab, it does save the new info and leaves the cell in its original height. So, that seems to be the answer to the problem, but still brings in an additional step when changes need to be made.

I still wish there was something that could be changed and fix it for all cells in all areas of all documents.

If option-return works to insert the blinking cursor in a cell but double-click doesn't then it could be that there is a problem related to your pointing device (mouse/trackpad) or its settings (you might want to double-check System Preferences). At least you've now got one working way to edit information in your cells.

SG

If option-return allows you to edit the cell normally but double-click does not them I'm guessing the problem has something to do with your mouse/trackpad. You might want to check settings for that in System Preferences. If you're using a mouse/trackpad that did not come with your Mac you may need to install updated drivers.

SG

Oops! SGIII, you are a genius! I would never have thought to check the Mouse in System Preferences, but on your recommendation, I did. First of all, let me say I saw nothing about updating drivers. However, I did see that I had the double-click speed set really fast. As I said, I have used this computer since 2008, and I was mentally and physically a lot faster then, I guess. Anyway, I slowed it down to about mid-range, went back to the Spread Sheet, and Voila! The cursor appears when I double clock in ANY cell!

I am so sorry to have been such a "challenge" (code for PITA) and thank you all for your help. I can now easily use my Numbers program without undue frustration.

Paul7071, I really hope this helps you, too. I know how difficult it is when this problem exists and you need to use the program daily.

With sincere gratitude,

~Barbara~