In Excel why is the Edit tab line above my spreadsheet completely blacked out?

Please clarify. What is "the edit line"?

Upload a screenshot so that we can see what's happening.

Dear @Mike Testro,

Thank you for posting your question on the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand you're facing a frustrating issue where the Formula Bar in Excel is blacked out, and that the problem persists across all files and even after a reinstallation. 

Here are the most effective solutions, starting with the one that is most likely to work. 

Solution 1: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration 

This is the most common fix for this type of display problem. 

1. Open Excel in desktop app and click on File > Options. 
2. In the Excel Options window, select the Advanced tab on the left. 
3. Scroll down to the Display section. 
4. Check the box for "Disable hardware graphics acceleration" and "Show formula bar" 
5. Click OK and completely restart Excel. 

This should immediately resolve the blacked-out bar. 

Solution 2: Start Excel in Safe Mode 

If the first solution doesn't work, an add-in might be causing the issue. Starting in Safe Mode helps diagnose this. 

1. Close Excel completely. 
2. Press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard, then click the Excel icon to open it. 
3. You will be asked if you want to start Excel in Safe Mode. Click Yes. 
4. Check if the Formula Bar is visible now. If it is, the problem is caused by an add-in, which you will need to disable through File > Options > Add-ins. 

Solution 3: Change the Office Theme 

Occasionally, a corrupted theme setting can cause display errors. 

1. Go to Excel in desktop app > File > Account. 
2. Under Office Theme, try changing the setting to a different option (e.g., from "Black" to "Colorful" or "Use system setting"). 
3. Restart Excel to see if this made a difference. 

If the issue continues, please consider providing more information: 

• What version of Excel are you using? 
• Are any specific files consistently causing this issue? 
• Have you installed any recent updates or changes to your system before this issue started occurring? 
• Could you upload a screenshot of the issue so we can take a closer look? 

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance! 

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