The Ruler bar in Excel is locked, the fix is ​​extremely simple

The Ruler bar in Excel is locked and gray so you cannot use it? This is a fairly common problem for users and don't worry, because TipsMake has a solution to help you solve it.

The Ruler bar in Excel not displayed, or displayed but not usable, is a very 'familiar' situation, causing many problems for users. Because at this time, you cannot measure/align the width and height of rows according to your needs for your Excel file. What is the reason why the Ruler bar in Excel is locked and how to fix this situation? Your question has been answered in detail in today's tips section. Stay tuned for the next part!

Find out the reason why the Ruler bar in Excel is locked

Don't panic if you don't see the Ruler bar appear in the Excel file you're working with. Because this is not an error, you just accidentally hid the ruler bar. It's possible that you made a mistake in the operation so you tick the right option to hide the Ruler bar. So what about the case where the Ruler bar is gray, locked and cannot be used?

Reasons why the ruler bar in Excel does not work

There have been quite a few users wondering and confused about the locked ruler bar in Excel. Specifically, this is a situation where the Excel ruler turns gray and cannot be used. The specific reason is because:

By default, Excel's ruler can only be used in Page Layout View. Therefore, if you switch the file to Normal View and Page Break Preview, the Ruler bar will turn gray and cannot be used.

As you will see in the illustration, even if you try to tick the option to display the Ruler bar, it cannot be done. This option is dimmed and cannot be operated.

So we know why the ruler bar is locked in Excel, right? The fix is ​​extremely simple, the following section will guide you in detail.

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How to fix the locked Ruler bar in Excel super quickly

To display the Ruler bar in Excel, you just need to change the view mode, and tick the Show ruler bar checkbox and you're done.

❖ Quick instructions: View tab > Click to select Page Layout mode > Tick to select Ruler in Show.

❖ Detailed instructions:

✪ Step 1: In the open Excel file, click on the View tab.

✪ Step 2: In the Workbook Views area > Select Page Layout.

✪ Step 3: Also on the View tab, go to Show > Select the Ruler option > Thus, the ruler bar will display in Excel.

❖ Note: In this mode, if you want to hide the Ruler bar, uncheck the Ruler line!

Share more - Instructions for changing the measurement unit of the ruler bar

When you activate the Ruler bar in Excel, the software will display the ruler bar with default units. But you can completely change the measurement unit to suit your needs as follows:

✪ Step 1: In the open Excel software, click the File tab > Select the Options option in the list on the left.

✪ Step 2: Continue clicking Advanced in the items on the left in the new window displayed.

✪ Step 3: Find the display area, at the line Ruler units > Click on the arrow to display the measurement units > When you complete the adjustment, click OK to save.

The trick boss has finished sharing about the case where the Ruler bar in Excel is locked. Fixing this situation is super simple, right? Don't forget to refer to many other useful information from the admin!