Claude not working in Excel: check your build, plan and history

Claude not working in Excel is usually one of four things: an Excel version the add-in does not run on, a plan that does not include it, an add-in your admin has not deployed, or chat history that vanished after a Microsoft 365 update on Windows. As of November 1, 2026, status.claude.com shows all systems operational, so start with the checks below. They come from Anthropic's own Claude for Excel documentation, which the old help center link now redirects to.

For a general Claude outage or error message, see our guide to Claude not working. This one covers the Excel add-in only.

Check status first

Open status.claude.com. As of November 1, 2026, the page read "All Systems Operational", and the components listed were claude.ai, Claude Console, Claude API, Claude Code, Claude Cowork and Claude for Government. There is no separate Excel component, so an Excel problem during an incident shows up as an error on claude.ai or on a model.

Recent resolved incidents were elevated errors for connectors on October 28 and October 22, and for several models between October 24 and October 27. If a connector or a model is on the list, the add-in can be affected too. No incidents were listed for October 29 through November 1.

Check that your Excel version is supported

Anthropic says Claude for Excel runs on these builds:

• Excel on the web.
• Excel on Windows with a Microsoft 365 subscription, build 16.0.13127.20296 or later.
• Excel on Mac, version 16.46 or later, build 21011600 or later.

It does not run on Excel 2016 or 2019 with a perpetual or volume license, on Excel for iPad, on Excel for Android, or on older Microsoft 365 builds below the SharedRuntime threshold. Anthropic gives the reason for iPad: the add-in needs SharedRuntime support, which iPad does not provide. If you are on one of these, update Microsoft 365 or use Excel on the web.

Check your plan

Claude for Excel is generally available to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, as of November 1, 2026. A free account is not on that list. Usage in the add-in is tied to your Claude account and counts against the same usage limits.

Install and sign in again

1. Open the Claude for Microsoft 365 listing on Microsoft AppSource.
2. Select "Get it now".
3. Open Excel, activate the add-in and sign in with your Claude account.

To activate it later, use Tools, Add-ins on Mac, or Home, Add-ins on Windows.

If your company manages Excel

On a work account the add-in may not appear because an admin has not deployed it. Per Anthropic's documentation, admins deploy it in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

1. Turn on "Let users access the Office Store" under Settings, Org Settings, User owned apps and services.
2. Go to Settings, Integrated apps, Add-ins.
3. Search for "Claude for Microsoft 365" in Microsoft AppSource.
4. Assign the add-in to the organization, or to specific users or groups.

Two problems are worth knowing. If the organization uses Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management, the Integrated apps page does not recognize roles activated through it and deployment fails. Anthropic calls this a known Microsoft issue (tracking ID 11126536) and says to deploy from an admin account whose role is permanently active. Individual users can still install the add-in themselves.

If the Office Store is switched off, admins can deploy a custom manifest instead, using the Excel manifest XML file. Teams that route AI traffic through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry or an LLM gateway can deploy it without individual Claude accounts, and the models then come from that platform.

Chat history or skills missing on Windows

Anthropic's page carries a warning about this. After the September and October 2026 Microsoft 365 updates for Windows (versions 2608 and 2609), Office can open the add-in on a new, empty storage folder. The add-in then shows its first-run screens, with no earlier chats or uploaded skills.

Nothing is deleted. The old data stays on the device, but the add-in cannot reach it, and Anthropic says support cannot restore it into the add-in. Anthropic says it is working with Microsoft on this. Until then:

• Do not clear the Office add-in cache. That deletes the earlier data.
• Save skills you rely on to your Claude account: in the Skills menu, hover over a skill you uploaded and click the cloud icon, "Save to claude.ai".
• Keep any conversation you need with the menu option "Download Transcript".
• Ask your IT team to restore the earlier store. Anthropic publishes PowerShell steps for admins on its data storage page. They copy folders rather than move them, so each step can be undone.

Also check which Office account you are signed in to. Anthropic says signing back in to the original account restores history with nothing to repair.

What the add-in cannot do

Some requests fail because the feature is not supported. Anthropic lists data tables, and macros and VBA operations, as unsupported. It also advises against using the add-in for final client deliverables or audit-critical calculations without review.

Two behaviors can look like failures. Claude asks you to confirm before a risky operation, and it warns before overwriting existing data. Anthropic also says to use the add-in only with trusted spreadsheets, because files from outside sources can hide instructions that manipulate it.

What to do next

If status is clear, your build is supported, your plan is eligible and the add-in still fails, work through the install steps again, then ask your admin about deployment. Anthropic's Claude for Excel page lists the latest known issues at the top, so check it before spending time on a fix.