Installing Add-ins

Before you can use any add-in program, the add-in must be installed in the proper folder on your hard drive, and then you must select the add-in in the Excel Add-Ins dialog box. Excel add-in programs are saved in a special file format identified with the .XLA (for Excel Add-in) filename extension. These XLA files are normally saved inside the Library folder (sometimes in their own subfolders) that is located in the Office11 folder. The path to this folder on most computers is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\Library.

After an add-in program is installed in the Library folder, its name then appears in the Add-Ins dialog box, which you open by choosing Tools → Add-Ins. To activate an add-in program (and thereby put it into the computer's memory), select the check box in front of its name in the Add-Ins dialog box and then click OK.

If you ever copy an XLA add-in program to a folder other than the Library folder in the Office11 folder, its name won't appear in the Add-Ins dialog box. You can, however, activate the add-in by clicking the Browse button in the Add-Ins dialog box to navigate to the add-in file and then clicking OK.