Actually, there are two conditions that can cause the Merge and Center tool to be unavailable. You should check, first, to see if your worksheet is protected. Second, you should check to see if the workbook is shared.

Why isn't Excel letting me merge cells?

If Merge & Center is disabled, ensure that you're not editing a cell—and the cells you want to merge aren't formatted as an Excel table. Cells formatted as a table typically display alternating shaded rows, and perhaps filter arrows on the column headings.

How do I enable merge cells in Excel?

Right-click and then select "Format Cells" from the popup menu. When the Format Cells window appears, select the Alignment tab. Check the "Merge cells" checkbox. Now when you return to the spreadsheet, you will find your selected cells merged into a single cell.

Why is the merge cell greyed out?

If you are using Track Changes and have deleted rows in the table, the deleted cells may not be merged and will be "greyed out". This is because cell-merging is not tracked, so Word would have no way of recording the deleted rows if it allowed you to merge the cells that are above and below them.

How do you unlock merge and center in Excel?

Possible solutions: Format the cells (shortuct Ctrl+1), go to alignment, check the merge cells box. Then select center horizontal alignment. Or, avoid merging cells (it can cause so many problems...) and use the "Center across selection" option for horizontal alignment.

Don't merge cells in Excel! Center across selection instead

How do I enable merge cells in a protected sheet?

How to allow merge cells within protected worksheet in Excel?

1. Allow merge cells within protected worksheet with VBA code.
2. Press the Alt + F11 keys simultaneously to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
3. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, click Insert > Module.

How do I turn off protection in Excel?

Click File > Options. Click Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View. Disable the Enable Protected View for files originating from the internet checkbox.

How do I unlock Protected View in Excel?

To switch off Protected View, change the settings in the Excel Trust Center.

1. In the Ribbon, select File > Options > Trust Center.
2. Select Trust Center Settings, and then select Protected View.
3. Remove the check marks from the three check boxes in Protected View.
4. Click OK to save the changes.

Why is my Excel sheet protected?

Overview. By default, Excel activates certain “protected view” settings. This is meant to prevent you from opening an potentially infected file downloaded from the Internet, sent to you in an Email, etc. The reality, however, is that it typically ADDS an additional step to opening many Excel files that you receive.

How do I enable editing in Excel?

Enable or disable Edit mode

Click File > Options > Advanced. , click Excel Options, and then click the Advanced category. Under Editing options, do one of the following: To enable Edit mode, select the Allow editing directly in cells check box.

How do you ungrey cells in Excel?

How to quickly grey out all unused area in Excel?

1. Enable the sheet in which you want to display working area only, and click View > Page Break Preview.
2. Select a range you want to display only, and click Kutools > Show & Hide > Set Scroll Area.
3. If you want to display all, click Kutools > Show & Hide > Unhide All Ranges.

Why is freeze panes GREY?

The causes of this issue are when your Excel worksheet is in the page layout view, when Windows protection is turned on and also when the Excel sheet is protected by the earlier versions of Excel. Because of all this issues, Excel Freeze Panes Not Work properly.

Why is group greyed out in Excel?

Assuming that you want to Group outline of columns in your documents with the Group button， make sure the Group button you want to use is in the Data tab>Outline. Since another Group button is used to combine Shapes, pictures, or other objects and it is greyed out by default.

Why is Trace Precedents in Excel greyed out?

If only one file has such problem, according to our tests, if we protected the worksheet, the trace dependents/ precedents function are greyed out, so we suggest you go to Review tab, check if you have protect sheet or workbook, if so, you can click Unprotect Sheet or Unprotect Workbook.

Why can't I make changes to my Excel spreadsheet?

Why can't I edit this file?

• The file is locked due to a previous crash. ...
• Another author has checked out the file. ...
• Another author is using a different version of the Office application. ...
• The server doesn't support the coauthoring functionality. ...
• The file format isn't compatible with the coauthoring functionality.

How do I enable editing?

Enable editing in your document

1. Go to File > Info.
2. Select Protect document.
3. Select Enable Editing.

How do I change an Excel document from read only to edit?

To do so:

1. From Explorer, search for the Excel File in question.
2. Right-click on the Excel file you want to edit.
3. Select Properties.
4. Go to the bottom of the General Tab.
5. Uncheck the Read Only check box.
6. Click OK to finalize.

Why is Excel locked for Editing?

If you have locked the file yourself, it might be because the file is open on a different device, or the previous instance of the file didn't close properly. Tip: Sometimes a file may get locked if everyone editing isn't using a version that supports co-authoring.

How do I remove read only?

Read-only Files

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file you want to edit.
2. Right-click the file name and select "Properties."
3. Select the "General" tab and clear the "Read-only" check box to remove the read-only attribute or select the check the box to set it. Click "OK" to save your changes.

Why did my Excel File become read only?

Excel spreadsheets may be Read Only due to their location. If the spreadsheet is on a network folder and you do not have appropriate network permissions to make make changes in the folder, the spreadsheet is Read Only. A spreadsheet on a CD-ROM, DVD or locked USB stick is Read Only.

How do I enable editing in Excel using keyboard?

Full shortcut:

1. Press F2.
2. Arrow one option to the left ("Enable Editing")
3. Press Enter.

How do I turn off enable editing?

What to Know

1. To enable editing, go to Review > Restrict Editing and uncheck all boxes in the Restrict Editing pane.
2. To restrict formatting changes, under Formatting Restrictions, select Settings.
3. To restrict changes to parts of a document, select Allow only this type of editing in the document.

How do you fix you can't make this change because the selection is locked?

Fix You can't make this change because the selection is locked Word error

1. Disable Mark as Final.
2. Disable Restrict editing.
3. Modify the properties of the document.
4. Activate your Office.

How do I unlock a file for Editing?

Right-click on the file. In the menu that appears, select Lock File. To unlock, right-click the file and select Unlock File.

How do I unlock a shared Excel file for Editing?

2. Shared Excel File is Locked for Editing By Another User

1. Note down the File Name and the Path to the Excel File.
2. Right-click on the Start button and click on RUN. ...
3. In Run Command window, type mmc and click on OK to bring up Microsoft Management Console.
4. On the next screen, click on File > Add/Remove Snap-in.