Excel Cell Modes - Ready, Edit and Enter and Point

There are four types of Cell editing modes in Excel worksheet. Those four types of Cell modes are "Ready", "Edit" and "Enter" and "Point". The default mode of an Excel cell is "Ready". In Ready mode, Excel is ready to accept the data in any of its worksheet Cells. Pressing the function key "F2" once will change the default "Ready" mode of its Active Cell to "Edit" mode. At "Edit" mode, if you press the function key "F2" again, the Cell mode will change to "Enter". "Point" cell mode is the fourth Cell mode. "Point" cell mode allows to navigate a big Excel worksheet to pick the desired cells while creating or editing formula.

While you are working in "Edit", "Enter" or "Point" Cell mode of Excel worksheet, most of the buttons in Excel Ribbon are disabled.

Cell Mode Indicator in Excel Status bar displays the current cell editing mode of its Active Cell. It is located on the left-most side of the status bar as shown in below images.

Four Cell Modes of Excel worksheet are explained below.

1) Ready Mode: The "Ready" mode shows that Excel worksheet is ready to accept an input from the user.

Excel Cell Mode status will become "Ready" when

• Excel user is not editing any cell or user is not inserting any data

• Excel user is not editing any defined name

• Excel user is not editing any conditional formatting formula

• Excel user is not editing any chart.

When at "Ready" mode, Excel is waiting for the user input.

Next three modes are Excel input modes. When the user is editing data in a cell, a defined name, a conditional formatting formula, or a chart, the Cell Mode status will become any of the three following modes. 1) Edit mode 2) Enter mode or 3) Point mode

2) Edit Mode: If you type function key "F2" at any Excel cell, the Cell mode will change to "Edit" mode. If you double click on a non-blank (where data is already filled) Excel Cell with mouse pointer, the Cell mode will become "Edit" mode.

While you are in "Edit" Cell mode, pressing the arrow navigation keys won't change the Active Cell to the next cell. At "Edit" mode, typing left or right Arrow keys will make text cursor move left or right within the data of the Cell, in the direction of Arrow key. Up and down arrows have no effect in "Edit" mode.

3) Enter Mode: When a user is entering data into a cell, the Cell Mode will become "Enter" mode. By default, Cell Mode will become "Enter" mode, when you double click on a blank (empty) Excel cell with mouse pointer. A single mouse click when at "Enter" mode will change the Cell mode to "Edit" mode.

When at "Enter" mode, you can change to "Edit" mode by typing the function key "F2". You may toggle between "Enter" mode and "Edit" mode by typing the function key "F2".

At "Enter" mode, typing any Arrow key will make the current cell lose its focus as Active Cell. Next cell will become the Active Cell in the direction of the typed Arrow key.

4) Point Mode : Point Mode is also called as formula cell selection mode. The Cell mode status will become Point, when you start typing a formula inside a cell (begining with "=", "+", or "-") and then select the cells that you want to include in that formula.