Excel for ipad has been updated, I can no longer access the cell edit ribbon to copy and paste data

I’m having the same issue- unable to copy and paste within the app nor delete or insert rows. When highlighting a row or a box there’s no longer a window that pops up that gives all these options and it’s driving me crazy! I’m creating a spreadsheet for a house renovation and not being able to copy and paste model numbers from websites or photos, which I was able to do yesterday, is making this the most tedious process. Before you respond- I’ve updated my iPad, the app was updated yesterday hence the problems have begun, I’ve rebooted my iPad, I’ve deleted and redownloaded the app. UPDATE: PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. I CAN NOW USE THE APP AS BEFORE. HOPEFULLY EVERYONE ELSE IS GOOD TO GO!

Same issue here, too. Copy and paste won’t appear in any excel file on both my iPhone 17 and my IPAD PRO.

Just started today 11/12.

I did the restart on both devices and deleted excel and reloaded. NO dice.

Same!

This did not work for me on a 5th gen IPad Air

Most functions are gone- delete columns etc. Also tried the recommended fixes with no change.

Microsoft doesn't monitor this site. Microsoft copilot recommends...

To escalate a bug in Excel for iOS after an update,

use the in-appHelp > Feedback ("thing I don't like"/"things that can be done better") option to report the issue with detailed steps and include your email addressso Microsoft can contact you for more information. You can also try temporary workarounds like restarting the app, clearing the cache, or reinstalling the app. 

Microsoft doesn't monitor this site. Microsoft copilot recommends...

To escalate a bug in Excel for iOS after an update,

use the in-appHelp > Feedback ("thing I don't like"/"things that can be done better") option to report the issue with detailed steps and include your email addressso Microsoft can contact you for more information. You can also try temporary workarounds like restarting the app, clearing the cache, or reinstalling the app. 

Microsoft doesn't monitor this site. Microsoft copilot recommends...

To escalate a bug in Excel for iOS after an update,

use the in-appHelp > Feedback ("thing I don't like"/"things that can be done better") option to report the issue with detailed steps and include your email addressso Microsoft can contact you for more information. You can also try temporary workarounds like restarting the app, clearing the cache, or reinstalling the app. 

I have the same issue on my iPad 9 and iPhone 15. Saved a copy of my spreadsheet on iCloud. (Was on OneDrive)

Ribbon is now functional albeit ‘Copy’ is not visible but if you click on the blank space to the right of ‘Cut’ then ‘Copy’ is available

The upgrade to IOS26 has turned into a complete farce and I have experienced several problems with excel, the latest being that I cannot add comments to the fields. I would hope that both Apple and Microsoft are working closely together to resolve these issues. Temporary fixes might solve the immediate problem but do the companies not do a trial run before they issue these upgrades to the general public? Jesus! It may be case of getting back to the drawing board and sorting it out and not causing so much inconvenience to your customers.

I experienced the same issue, but then discovered it did not happen with a different excel file. I duplicated the apparently corrupted first file and the new file worked as usual.

I experienced the same issue, but then discovered it did not happen with a different excel file. I duplicated the apparently corrupted first file and the new file worked as usual.

Same thing happened to me. No help deleting and reinstalling the app..

Try selecting the file in OneDrive and changing the name. Then open in excel. It worked for me.

Ok, who wants to rename or create a copy of the file and rename them.. It did work doing that, but that’s really not acceptable for a company like Microsoft.

I tried the rename and no luck now I have 2 files that don’t work.

I opened the file from OneDrive and then opened the file in the Excel link, and then saved a copy with changing the file name, adding a 1 to the file name, and then opened the rename file and it worked.

Still, this is really not a good solution, especially with Microsoft

This is weird… I opened the file in excel like you said and it worked… when I tried to open the file in one drive it didn’t work. What the heck?

I keep the file in one drive as I use it across several platforms, computer, iPad and phone… so if I go to the excel app itself it works, but opening it up in the RECENT FILES in One APP it doesn’t work.

and now it’s not working at all again, wth?

I have been having the same intermittent problem for the last few weeks

i have tried all suggestions here without success.

I contacted the Microsoft help desk this morning who said that they were aware of the issue, which had been reported to them by other users.

An update had been issued but apparently it hasn’t solved the problem, and the engineers are working on a fix (again!).

They suggested a few options (uninstalling, logging out etc) - all unsuccessful.

Not helpful…..

Just duplicated file as suggested, and I am back in business. Thanks

‘Duplication’ didn’t work for me

(or any of the other suggestions offered here)

Because it’s a random / intermittent problem, it’s impossible to know whether you have actually ‘solved’ the problem, or whether it’s just working as it used to…..

I opened the file in one drive as a read only… used the open in excel option and the copy and paste worked… closed the file, went to one drive and reopened and it stopped working.

also tried renaming, etc… same result.

slightly maddening… guess I’ll wait until they figure this out.

It is an absolute shame for MS the amount of issues we are having rom IOS26 update, this copy/paste big issue is just one of them. But, the worst thing is that there is not any commitment to solve what we are all paying for.

Shame MS.

This issue only pertains to iOS instances of Excel. On my laptop I can use keyboard shortcuts for things like cut, copy & paste. But Excel on my iPhone suddenly stopped giving me access to these shortcuts when highlighting a cell, multiple cells, or rows. I have tried all of the suggested remedies listed above, none of which fixed the problem.

Are others out there still experiencing the same?

Still issues here too…. I did the rename, restart, delete, update etc… it worked for a moment when I saved a new copy with a different name- then I closed it and reopened it and went back to the same issue of no copy paste.

Yep, copy paste, etc and spreadsheet freeze is the result not yet solved by MS after more than a month now, Yep.

I guess you guys already know this, talking to support is a waste of time as they don’t deal with ipad/ios versions of Excel. I find that opening a file on my Imac and then saving it, makes the file usable when next opened on ipad. Unfortunately, it ends there, it becomes unusable again on the next opening on ipad.

Is this problem Worldwide or only in Australia?

Issues here in Cincinnati, Ohio too my friend.

UK too

I have left a one star review on the app store, might help. Currently we are paying for an app we cannot use. UK also.

And the worst thing is that MS even take the time to provide an estimation even just to answer or apologise!!!!!, it is a shame.

I don't want them wasting their time word-smithing an apology. I just want them to fix it.

same issue here!! MICROSOFT PLS FIX THIS ASAP THIS REALLY HOLD OUR PRODUCTIVITY I CANT WORKKKK

even for copy paste we cant do anything it’s really screwed!

I tried the magnifying glass method and it worked for me. Not convenient, but it does seem to have all the functions available. Someone had said it didn’t have the option to delete columns, sheets, etc. but I did see that when I typed in “delete”. I’m on an iPhone 14 Plus using iOS 26.

You just need to have whatever you want to edit selected and then hit the magnifying glass icon, type in what you need to do. It’ll get me through at least until they fix this ribbon issue.

Update to IOS 26, update all microsoft apps and it it will work fine again

I’m on ios26.1 and problem started when I upgraded Microsoft apps last Thursday

MS Just updated the app.

I updated the app, and it works fine now.

Deleting the app and reinstalling worked for me… so nice having the edit menu back. And now the word “copy” on the menu is no longer invisible. I guess they finally fixed that with the last update which made the entire menu disappear until deleting and reinstalling the app.

Same here. I have tried on two different iPhones (15 Plus and 17 Pro Max) and two iPads (Mini A17 Pro and Pro 11in M5) each with no luck. The magnifying glass works for a bit of what’s missing, but at this point I’m going to have to lease additional equipment for our field staff (~$6,000/mo) to use until this gets fixed.