Claude add-in for Excel on MS365 has no chat box

Jay Goodwin 0 Reputation points
2026-08-08T00:11:48.9966667+00:00

I'm running Microsoft 365 Excel on Windows and I'm trying to use the Claude for Excel add-in. When I open the add-in, there is a display of three boxes announcing what the add-in can do (Select cells, Build Financial Models, Clean up Data and Debug), but there is no chat box. Clicking on the boxes does nothing. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the add-in but I'm getting the same outcome. Any help with this would be most appreciated!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-08T00:12:08.2466667+00:00

    This behavior is consistent with an add-in loading problem in Excel rather than a Claude-specific chat setting.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Start Excel in Safe Mode to check whether another add-in is interfering.
      • Press Win + R
      • Run: excel /safe
      • Open the Claude add-in again
      • If it behaves differently in Safe Mode, another Excel or COM add-in is likely causing the issue.
    2. Disable other add-ins temporarily.
      • In Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins
      • At the bottom, for Manage, select Excel Add-ins > Go > clear all add-ins
      • Repeat for COM Add-ins > Go > clear all add-ins
      • Restart Excel
      • Reopen Claude
      • If Claude starts working, re-enable the other add-ins one at a time to find the conflicting one.
    3. Clear the Office web add-in cache.
      • Close Excel
      • Press Win + R
      • Open: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef
      • Delete the files in that folder
      • Reopen Excel and load the add-in again
    4. Check whether Excel itself is unstable with add-ins.
      • Microsoft notes that some add-ins can be incompatible with organizational IT policies, and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) can disable an add-in and cause the Office app to crash.
      • If the issue started after installing or changing add-ins, this is a possible cause.
    5. If Excel shows broader startup or blank-window problems, run an Online Repair.
      • Use the steps in Repair an Office application from the Excel blank screen guidance.

    If the Claude pane still only shows the three promotional boxes and no usable chat area after Safe Mode, disabling other add-ins, and clearing the Wef cache, the available context does not provide a product-specific fix for that Claude UI state. At that point, the most supported conclusion is that the add-in is not loading correctly inside Excel.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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