We made our selections based on personal need, the Add-Ins features and efficiency, the learning curve, and the cost.

Excel Add-Ins are similar to smart phone apps and graphic plug-ins.

That is, they are separate applications written by independent programmers that provide enhanced capabilities for the primary software.

You can get Add-Ins for Word, PowerPoint, and other popular programs as well.

Get Excel Add-Ins Free Or Have

Most Add-Ins are either free or have a minimal cost and, generally, use very little memory.

Add-Ins are very diverse, so they function quite differently.

Theyre produced from hundreds of sources and cover every imaginable topic.

These are the 10 main types, though many of these categories overlap.

Many of them are backward- and forward-compatible, but check the system requirements before you download anything.

Note that newer isnt always better: Many of the Add-Ins that were created years ago are still some of the best ones available.

When the View and Manage Microsoft Office Add-Ins screen appears, note that Excel displays the Active Add-Ins on top and the Inactive Add-Ins on bottom.

If not (or, if your Add-In does not appear on the Active Add-In list), activate the Office Add-Ins screen again.

Choose an option from the Manage: Drop Down list (in this case, choose Excel Add-Ins), then click Go.

However, you can customize the Backstage menu with another Add-In called Add-in Express or with Visual Basic.

Get Excel Add-Ins Install The Application

The first way is to search online for Excel Add-Ins, browse and review the many hundreds of applications, access the website with the Add-Ins you like, then download and install the application directly from that website.

Others (such as SmartCharts for Excel) open directly in the Task Pane and are ready to go.

Also, note that if the Add button says Try (instead of Add), the application is not free.

Most of the fee-based Add-Ins charge minimal fees, but a few of them are actually very expensive.

Click the SmartCharts SampleDemo button to view some of this Add-Ins impressive features; or click the Start with My Data button and begin building your custom charts immediately.

Take the starsreviews shown in the Microsoft App store with a grain of salt.

Also, I have Excel 2013 and Excel 2016, and everything we tested here works in both versions (probably because they are so similar), regardless of the versions listed (some Add-Ins need to be updated).

Now that you understand how to locate and install Excel Add-Ins, here (below) are some of our favorites.

Note that some are new and some have been around for a while.

How To Get Excel Add-Ins For Mac