oh the shift-clear is what worked when the numeric keybad didnt work when I was in excel.
In the Mac Help, it says, If your keyboard has a separate keypad but no Num Lock key, try pressing Shift-Clear.
If you’re using a portable computer, the Num Lock is a function key, marked Num Lock (F6).
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If the numeric keypad still doesn’t work as you expect, you may have enabled Mouse Keys, which lets you move the pointer with the keypad.
To find the option that turns off Mouse keys, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Universal Access, and then click “Mouse & Trackpad.”