XL97: Cannot Edit Text Box with Unlocked Text (158711)

SYMPTOMS

When you click a text box with unlocked text on a protected worksheet, you cannot select the text box in edit mode, and the Edit Text command is not available when you right-click the text box.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when all of the following conditions are true:

You create a text box and assign a macro to it.

-and-
You disable the Locked Text option for the text box by right-clicking the text box border, clicking Format Text Box, clicking the Protection tab, and clearing the option.

-and-
You protect the worksheet.

When the worksheet is protected, if you assign a macro to a text box, you cannot edit the text in the text box. Instead, the macro runs when you click the text box.

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

RESOLUTION

To edit the text in the text box, first unprotect the worksheet, and then edit the text. To do this, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, point to Protection, and then click Unprotect Sheet.
Type the password, if applicable, and click OK.
Right-click the text box, and click Edit Text on the shortcut menu.

The text box is selected in edit mode, and you can modify the text.