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in a readerExcel add-ins fail to load
Introduction
Lately (I wrote this page on August 17, 2016) I've been getting reports from people complaining that they can no longer use add-ins. In this article I describe the problem and a solution.
The problem
Even though an add-in has been "installed" into Excel using the Add-ins dialog its userinterface does not show. This is that dialog:
As you can see, some add-ins are checked. But sometimes the user-interface of an add-in fails to display. In fact, the add-in file will not open in Excel at all, even if you try from Windows Explorer, or from File, Open from within Excel. Without any error message.
The cause
A recent Office Security update has caused any file downloaded from the internet (so this includes add-ins) to be marked as Blocked. Even if those files were in a zip container, they are marked as blocked. And Excel will simply not open them.
Solution
Unblock the files! Like so:
1. Copy the file from the zip file to any folder
2. Right-click the file and choose properties:
3. Click the Unblock button:
Other resources
If you have a folder full of blocked files, this page describes a way to unblock all of them using Powershell.
And a great article by fellow-MVP Jon Acampora: Excel Add-in Ribbon Disappears After Installation.
This article describes the mechanics of the problem very well: http://www.howtogeek.com/70012/what-causes-the-file-downloaded-from-the-internet-warning-and-how-can-i-easily-remove-it/
Comments
All comments about this page:
Comment by: Patrick Matthews (8/17/2016 7:48:59 PM)
Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (8/18/2016 6:20:49 AM)
I'm not sure yet whether it is all files, or just add-ins. I have mixed results when testing.
Comment by: Gunthor (10/19/2016 10:43:36 AM)
I've been looking for this answer for 2 months...
M A N Y T H A N K S :-)
Comment by: Ralph (2/7/2017 4:00:17 PM)
Comment by: Wei (2/17/2017 7:37:12 AM)
Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (2/20/2017 9:57:33 AM)
The article is about Excel-based add-ins (xla and xlam files), not about dll files.
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