Whenever you insert a new row, column, or block of cells into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, a small, floating icon resembling a paintbrush appears right next to your newly inserted data. This is the “Insert Options” button. It allows you to quickly choose how the new cells should be formatted (e.g., format same as above, format same as below, or clear formatting). While occasionally helpful for complex tables, this floating icon often hovers directly over the data you are trying to read or type into, requiring you to click away to make it disappear. If you prefer to format your cells manually, you can completely disable this pop-up button.
How to Disable the Insert Options Button
You can turn off this floating icon in Excel’s Advanced settings menu.
- Open Microsoft Excel.
- Click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the window.
- Look at the bottom of the left-hand blue sidebar and click on Options. (Click ‘More…’ first if Options isn’t visible).
- The “Excel Options” dialogue box will appear. Click on Advanced in the left-hand menu.
- Scroll down the main window until you reach the section titled Cut, copy, and paste.
- Locate the checkbox labelled Show Insert Options buttons.
- Click this checkbox to uncheck it.
- Click the OK button at the bottom right of the window to save your changes.
From now on, when you right-click and insert a new row or column, the space will appear instantly without any floating paintbrush icon obstructing your view. The new cells will simply default to matching the formatting of the row above them.