Add-ins in Excel: How to install and remove

Install and use add-ins in Excel to get additional features and commands in your workbook.

Add-In are components that add functions or custom commands, libraries for office programs such as Excel , Word ... With the power of Add-In, in addition to taking advantage of all the features feature of the parent software, the Add-In will add many features to help the use of office applications, Office software becomes faster and more effective than those who only use the regular installer. .

Find your Add-in folder

To find the default Add-in folder, you can use one of the following methods:

• Browse for the Addin folder
• Use the Excel Addin Folder Path Locator file

Find the Addin folder

To manually find the default Excel AddIn folder, follow the steps below:

1. Click the Developer tab on the Excel Ribbon. If it is not displayed, do the following:
2. Click the Add-Ins command .
3. In the Add-Ins window, select any add-in from the list and click the Browse button . Once there, the Browse window is opened, in the AddIns folder.
4. Right-click on the link at the top of the Browse window and click " Copy Address as Text ".
5. Click Cancel to close the Browse window.
6. Click Cancel to close the Add-Ins window.
7. Open Windows Explorer and paste the copied address into the address bar, press Enter .

How to use the Excel Addin Folder Path Locator file

1. Download a copy of the Excel Addin Folder Path Locator file.
2. Unzip and open the file, turn on the macro.
3. Go to the AddinsFolder page .
4. Click the Show Addins Folder Location button .
5. In cell B4, the file path will appear. For example, in Windows 10, you can see it here: C: \ Users \ UserName \ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ AddIns
6. Click the Open Addins Folder button .
7. Windows Explorer will open and display the contents of the Addins folder.

Note : Close Excel before making any changes to the installed Addins.

Instructions for installing Add-in in Excel

Excel 2007 and above:

To install an add-in, follow the instructions:

     1. In Windows Explorer, open the Microsoft Addins folder on the computer.

      Note : If you are unsure about its location, you can use the Excel Addin Folder Path file to find it.

     2. Extract the add-in file if needed to extract the add-in file. It will have the xlam extension.

     3. Save the add-in file in the Microsoft Addins folder.

      Note : You can save the add-in in any folder, but it will be easier to install if it is saved in the Addins folder.

     4. To allow Excel to open the add-in file automatically, you may need to unblock it. Right-click on the add-in file and click Properties .

5. If an alert appears, click the Unblock box to add a trace - “ This file is from another computer and may be blocked to help protect this computer ”.

6. Click OK .

7. Open the Excel program.

In Excel:

1. On the Ribbon, click the Developer tab (if you don't see this tab, follow the instructions below to display it).
2. Click the Add-ins button .
3. In the Add-in dialog box, add a checkmark to the name of the add-in.

    Note : If you do not see the add-in in the list, click the Browse button . Navigate to the directory where you saved the xlam file and select the add-in file.

   4. Click OK to close the window.

   5. A new tab for the addin may appear on the Ribbon, or a new command may appear in one of the existing tabs. See the saved add-ins to help locate it.

   6. If you don't see the button on the Ribbon, you can add icons to the Quick Access toolbar to run the macro.

The Add-in options tab is not displayed

After a recent Microsoft update, some Excel add-ins are not loading properly and their custom tabs do not appear on the Excel Ribbon. Follow these steps to unblock the file and it will open correctly.

    1. Close Excel, if it is running.

    2. Open Windows Explorer and open the folder where you saved the add-in file, usually the Microsoft Addins folder.

     Note : If you are unsure of the location of the Addins folder, you can use the Excel Addin Folder Path file to find it. Then close Excel again.

    3. To allow Excel to automatically open the addin file, you can unblock it. Right-click on the add-in file and click Properties .

4. If an alert appears, click the Unblock box to add a trace - " This file is from another computer and may be blocked to help protect this computer ".

5. Click OK .

6. Then start Excel and the custom add-in file that appears on the Excel Ribbon.

Add-in context

The following Excel add-ins are available with Contextues:

• To save time when working with privot tables, use the PivotPower Premium add-in.

• In any workbook, the Contextures Excel Tools add-in helps you create a quick backup, organize your worksheets and save time on other tasks.

Free add-ins

The following is a list of free add-ins that you can download and install to make Excel jobs easier.

Excel Utilities

This add-in, developed by AppsPro's Rob Bovey, has handy tools for working with named regions, spreadsheets and selections.

With the Excel Utilities commands, users can quickly protect and unprotect all worksheets in a workbook, remove unused styles or use Center Across Selection without merging cells.

Name Manager

Name Manager was developed by Jan Karel Pieterse of JKP Application Development Services, much better than the Excel Name features.

If you use names in Excel, you'll definitely love Name Manager. Find names with errors and delete them or follow the links to other workbooks.

Please take a few minutes to download Name Manager because it can save users a lot of time.

In addition, there are other free add-ins listed below. Users should read the terms of use of add-ins before installing them. Some add-ins are free for personal use but require a commercial license. Also, some of the free add-ins may be discontinued or changed to paid.

Add-In	Developer	Note
AET VBE Tools	Andrew Engwirda	Tools for working fat code in VBE. Andrew has other free tools, including Custom Lists and XL Help Files Maker
ASAP Utilities		Large collection of utilities
AutoSafe	Jan Karel Pieterse	Copy workbooks regularly
Button Editor	Andy Pope	Edit button images
Chart Labeler	Rob Bovey	Add labels to any chart
Code Cleaner	Rob Bovey	Delete the VBA code to prevent the problem
FindLink	Bill Manville	Search for hidden links in workbooks
FlexFind	Jan Karel Pieterse	Find the entire workbook, including buttons.
FormulaDesk add-in		Formula tools for Excel 2010 and up
MZ Tools		Tools to work with VBA
Navigator Utilities		Navigate and audit workbooks
Pivot Power Free	Contextures	Tools for working with Pivot Tables
Thesaurus for Excel		Find words with similar meanings
XLG Favorites	Ken Puls	Manage your favorite files list

Save the file as an Add-in

You can create your own add-in by storing macros in a file, then saving as an add-in:

1. Write or create one or more macros in the file.
2. On the Excel Ribbon, click the Fil e tab , click Save As .
3. Click the Browse button to open the Save As window (located in the selected folder).
4. At the bottom, enter the file name.
5. In the Save As Type drop-down menu, choose Excel Add-In (* .xlam) .
6. The AddIns folder must be selected automatically.
7. Click Save , then close Excel.
8. To use the add-in file, follow the steps above to install it.

Uninstall the Add-in

To delete an add-in in excel that you have saved in the Addins folder, do the following:

A) Open the Add-ins window

Use one of the following methods to open the Add-ins window:

• If the Developer tab is displayed on the Excel Ribbon, click on it, then click the Excel Add-ins command .

• Or click the File tab , then Options and click Add-Ins category .
• At the bottom of the window, in the Manage drop-down list, select Excel Add-ins and click Go .

B) Disable the add-in

Next, you need to deactivate the add-in:

• In the list of Add-Ins available, click the add-in that you want to deactivate. A description of it will appear below the list. Read those things carefully to make sure it's the add-in you want to delete.
• Then, remove the check mark next to the Add-in name.

• Click OK to close the Add-in window.

C) Uninstall the Add-in

Follow these instructions to remove the add-in file:

• Close Excel.
• Go to the Addins folder or the folder where you stored the Excel add-in you want to delete.
• Delete the add-in file or move it to another folder so that it won't open automatically when you start Excel.
• Restart Excel and the add-in will no longer appear.

Above download.vn  has instructions on how to install and remove the add-in. Hopefully this tutorial will help you use the add-in and work on Excel more effectively.