How to Enable Excel 2016 Insert Column Option After It Is Disabled

Microsoft Excel users often encounter scenarios where the Insert Column option gets disabled after right-clicking. This guide will walk you through several steps to resolve this issue, ensuring you can insert columns with ease.

1. Check Worksheet Protection

Worksheet protection can disable certain options, including the ability to insert columns. To unprotect the sheet, follow these steps:

Go to the Review tab on the Ribbon. Click on Unprotect Sheet if it's enabled. If the sheet is protected, certain options such as inserting columns will be disabled.

2. Check for Merged Cells

Merged cells can cause issues with column insertion. To resolve this:

Select the columns around where you want to insert a new column. Go to the Home tab and in the Alignment group, click on Merge Center to unmerge any existing merged cells.

3. Check for Filters

Filters applied to the worksheet might restrict certain actions. To remove filters:

Go to the Data tab and click on Clear in the Sort Filter group.

4. Ensure You Have Selected the Entire Column

Make sure you have selected the entire column where you want to insert a new column. You can do this by clicking on the column header, such as A, B, or C.

5. Check for Shared Workbook

If the workbook is shared, some features may be limited. To check:

Go to the Review tab and look for Share Workbook). If the workbook is shared, consider unsharing it.

6. Restart Excel

In some cases, simply closing and reopening Excel can resolve temporary glitches.

7. Repair Office Installation

If the problem persists, you might need to repair your Office installation:

Go to the Control Panel. Click on Programs and Features. Find Microsoft Office, right-click on it, and select Change. Choose Repair.

By following these steps, you should be able to enable the Insert Column option in Excel 2016.

Additional Considerations for Customized Context Menus

If you have customized Excel's right-click context menu possibly using an add-in, you may encounter the issue described. To fix this, reset your customized context menus using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications).

To implement the workaround:

Open the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) by pressing Alt F11. Insert a new module from Insert > Module. Paste the following code into the empty module pane on the right: Run the code by pressing F5. Exit back to Excel by pressing Alt Q and verify if the issue is resolved.

The code provided will loop through all Command Bars and reset them:

Sub ShowButtonsAgain Dim bar As CommandBar For Each bar In CommandBars False True True Next End Sub

Feel free to consult Microsoft's official documentation for more advanced troubleshooting and customization options.