The Microsoft Excel logo and Anthropic’s Claude spark. Image: Microsoft Excel logo (Wikimedia Commons, public domain; Microsoft trademark) and Claude logo (Simple Icons, CC0; Anthropic trademark)
Claude for Excel usually stops working for one of five reasons: your Excel version isn’t supported, you’re on Claude’s free plan, the add-in is installed but not switched on, a work account is blocking it, or Excel’s add-in cache is stuck. Each one has a quick fix, and most take less than five minutes. Here they are in order, built on Anthropic’s own Claude for Excel documentation and Microsoft’s add-in guides.
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Claude for Excel not working: quick fixes, in order
- Check your Excel version. Claude needs Excel on the web, Microsoft 365 Excel on Windows or Excel on Mac. It doesn’t run in Excel 2016 or 2019, on iPad or on Android.
- Check your Claude plan. The add-in works on paid plans only: Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise.
- Switch the add-in on. Installing it isn’t enough. In Excel on Windows go to Home, then Add-ins; on Mac go to Tools, then Add-ins. Pick Claude and sign in with your Claude account.
- Install the current listing. Anthropic now points to “Claude for Microsoft 365” on Microsoft’s marketplace, which covers Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
- Try Excel on the web. If Claude works at office.com but not in desktop Excel, the problem is your desktop app, not your Claude account.
- Clear Excel’s add-in cache if it is stuck loading (steps below).
- On a work account, ask IT. Your organisation may block the Office Store.
Which Excel versions does Claude work in?
| Excel version | Claude for Excel |
|---|---|
| Excel on the web | Works |
| Excel on Windows, Microsoft 365 subscription | Works on build 16.0.13127.20296 or later |
| Excel on Mac | Works on version 16.46 (build 21011600) or later |
| Excel 2016 or 2019 (bought once, or volume licence) | Not supported |
| Excel on iPad | Not supported |
| Excel on Android | Not supported |
| Older Microsoft 365 builds | Not supported: update Office |
Source: Anthropic’s Claude for Excel documentation. Last checked October 7, 2026.
Anthropic says the iPad app can’t run the add-in because it lacks a feature Office add-ins need, called SharedRuntime. That rules out iPhone and iPad for now, whatever plan you’re on. To find your Excel version on Windows, go to File, then Account, then About Excel. On Mac, open the Excel menu and choose About Excel. If your build is too old, run Office’s update and restart Excel.
Is Claude for Excel free?
Claude for Excel is free to install, but it only works with a paid Claude plan. Anthropic lists it for Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. Pro costs $17 a month billed yearly, or $20 billed monthly, and Max starts at $100 a month. It won’t work on the free plan.
Your Microsoft licence and your Claude plan are separate. You need both a supported Excel and a paid Claude account. Anything you do in Excel counts towards your normal Claude usage limits.
Claude not showing in Excel, or the add-in disappeared
If Claude isn’t in the ribbon, it is usually installed but not active. On Windows, open Home, then Add-ins, and pick Claude. On Mac, use Tools, then Add-ins. If it isn’t listed, reinstall it from the Claude for Microsoft 365 listing by choosing “Get it now”, then reopen Excel.
The “disappeared” and “no longer available” searches have a likely cause. Anthropic first launched an Excel-only add-in called “Claude by Anthropic for Excel”. Its documentation now links to the combined Claude for Microsoft 365 add-in instead, so you may be searching for the old name. Anthropic says reinstalling or switching between its add-ins doesn’t delete your chat history, which is stored on your computer.
A missing chat history on Windows usually means you’re signed in to a different Office account. Anthropic says history is stored separately for each Office account, so signing back in to the original account brings it back.
Work or school account: what to send your IT admin
Many companies block add-ins from the Office Store. If “Get it now” fails or Claude never appears on a work account, only your IT team can fix it. Anthropic gives admins these steps in the Microsoft 365 admin centre:
- Go to Settings, then Org Settings, then User owned apps and services, and turn on “Let users access the Office Store”.
- Or deploy it centrally: Settings, then Integrated apps, then Add-ins. Search for “Claude for Microsoft 365” and assign it to everyone or to chosen users.
- If the Office Store must stay off, deploy Anthropic’s manifest XML file instead.
One known Microsoft bug catches admins out. If your organisation uses Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM), the Integrated apps page doesn’t recognise admin roles switched on through PIM, so the deployment fails. Anthropic’s workaround is to deploy from an admin account whose role is permanently active. Companies that use Claude through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry or an internal gateway can deploy the add-in without individual Claude accounts.
Claude not loading in Excel
If the Claude pane opens but stays blank or keeps spinning, close and reopen Excel first. Then try the same workbook in Excel on the web. If it still won’t load, clear Office’s add-in cache, which Microsoft recommends for add-in errors:
- Windows: in Excel, go to File, Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, Trusted Add-in Catalogs. Tick “Next time Office starts, clear all previously-started web add-ins cache”, select OK and restart Excel.
- Mac: in the add-in’s pane, open the menu at the top and choose Clear Web Cache, then restart Excel.
Microsoft warns against deleting individual files from the cache, as that can stop every add-in from loading. Clear it completely or not at all. Before you do, save any chat you need: in the Claude pane, choose More options, then Download Transcript.
Claude timing out or Excel freezing
Claude works inside Excel, and Excel does one thing at a time. While Excel recalculates a big model, Claude waits. Anthropic’s performance page gives the limits:
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Wait for a step where Claude runs code | 90 seconds |
| Wait for other steps, such as writing cells | 5 minutes on desktop, 2 minutes on the web |
| Cells returned by one Claude read | 2,000 cells with data |
| One request in Excel on the web | 5 MB |
| Workbooks that work well | Under 1 million used cells; over 5 million is “at your own risk” |
Source: Anthropic’s Claude for Microsoft 365 performance page. Last checked October 7, 2026.
A timeout doesn’t mean the step failed. Excel may still be running it. Anthropic’s advice: don’t click or type while Claude works, wait for Excel to respond, save, then ask for a smaller step. Name the sheet and range you mean, close workbooks you aren’t using, and for big formula changes set Formulas, Calculation Options to Manual, then press F9 when Claude is done. Use 64-bit Office for large files.
A few things don’t work at all: Claude can’t run macros or VBA, and it doesn’t support Excel data tables. If a model you use in Claude’s app is missing in Excel, that’s expected. Anthropic offers a shorter list of models in the Office add-ins, and your organisation’s model settings also apply. Claude also has an add-on for Google Sheets, Docs and Slides if your team works in Google instead.
Last checked: October 7, 2026, against Anthropic’s Claude for Excel, performance and data storage pages, Microsoft’s marketplace listings and Microsoft’s guide to clearing the Office cache.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Claude not working in Excel?
The usual causes are an unsupported Excel version (2016, 2019, iPad or Android), Claude’s free plan, the add-in not being switched on under Home, Add-ins, a work account that blocks the Office Store, or a stuck add-in cache. Check them in that order.
Why is Claude not showing in Excel?
It is usually installed but not active. On Windows go to Home, then Add-ins; on Mac go to Tools, then Add-ins, and pick Claude. If it isn’t listed, install Claude for Microsoft 365 from Microsoft’s marketplace and reopen Excel.
Is Claude for Excel free?
No. The add-in is free to install but needs a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. Pro costs $17 a month billed yearly or $20 monthly.
Does Claude for Excel work on Mac?
Yes, in Excel for Mac version 16.46 (build 21011600) or later. Open it from Tools, then Add-ins.
Does Claude for Excel work on iPad or iPhone?
No. Anthropic says Excel on iPad lacks the SharedRuntime support the add-in needs, and Android isn’t supported either. Use Excel on the web or the desktop app.
Can I use Claude in Excel 2016 or 2019?
No. Anthropic doesn’t support Excel 2016 or 2019 bought outright or on a volume licence. You need a Microsoft 365 version of Excel, Excel for Mac 16.46 or later, or Excel on the web.
Why did the Claude add-in disappear from Excel?
Anthropic’s documentation now points to a combined Claude for Microsoft 365 add-in, replacing the older Excel-only “Claude by Anthropic for Excel” listing in its guides. Install the new one. Anthropic says switching add-ins keeps your chat history.
Why does Claude keep timing out in Excel?
Excel runs one step at a time, and Claude stops waiting after 90 seconds for code steps and 5 minutes for other steps on desktop (2 minutes on the web). Big workbooks make this more likely. Ask for smaller steps and name the exact range.
Can Claude run macros in Excel?
No. Anthropic lists macros, VBA and Excel data tables as unsupported in Claude for Excel.
Sources: Anthropic (Use Claude for Excel), Anthropic (performance and limits), Anthropic (data storage), Claude pricing, Microsoft Marketplace (Claude for Microsoft 365), Microsoft (clear the Office cache).
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