Knowledge Base

XL98: Selected Cell May Change When You Click AutoSum Tool

Article ID: 177046

Article Last Modified on 9/11/2002

APPLIES TO

This article was previously published under Q177046

SYMPTOMS

If you click the AutoSum tool on the Standard toolbar, Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition may change the active cell. For example, if cell B5 is the active cell and you click the AutoSum tool, either cell C5 or cell B6 becomes the active cell.

NOTE: This problem does not occur in any version of Microsoft Excel for Windows or in Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0.

CAUSE

This problem occurs if you click the AutoSum tool when multiple cells are selected.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The AutoSum tool in Microsoft Excel allows you to quickly create a formula to sum a range of cells.

Example

Enter the following data in a worksheet: 
   B2: 1   C2: 4   D2: 7
   B3: 2   C3: 5   D3: 8
   B4: 3   C4: 6   D4: 9
If you select cell B5 and click the AutoSum tool, the formula =SUM(B2:B4) appears in the cell.

If you select multiple cells (for example, B5:D5), and then click the AutoSum tool, Microsoft Excel adds the correct formula to each of the selected cells. In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, the selected cell (B5) is not changed.

However, in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, the active cell is changed from cell B5 to cell C5. Similarly, if you select the range E2:E4, and then click the AutoSum tool, the active cell is changed from cell E2 to cell E3.

Additional query words: XL98

Keywords: kbbug kbui KB177046


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