Resolving Missing Add-in Ribbon Menus in Excel

A recent Microsoft Office security update has caused the Ribbon Menu Bars for Excel add-ins to disappear when opening the application. This guide provides practical solutions to address and resolve this issue.

Why Does the Add-in Ribbon Disappear?

The security update blocks files downloaded from the internet by default, marking them as unsafe.

• Regular Excel files (.xlsx or .xlsm): A security prompt appears asking for confirmation to open the file.
• Add-in files (.xll): No security prompt is displayed, leading to confusion when the add-in’s Ribbon Menu fails to appear.

If you’ve recently downloaded an Excel add-in or obtained it from another source, the Ribbon menu might not show up in Excel due to these security settings. Below are solutions to restore your add-in Ribbon and enhance productivity.

Recommended Solution: Store Add-ins in a Trusted Location

The most reliable fix is to move the add-in file to an Excel Trusted Location. A Trusted Location is a pre-approved folder where Excel allows files to run without security restrictions.

Option 1: Add the Add-in File’s Folder as a Trusted Location

1. Open Excel and go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations.

2. Click Add New Location.
3. Press Browse and navigate to the folder containing your add-in file.
4. Click OK to confirm, then close and reopen Excel.

Option 2: Use the Default Trusted Location

You can also store the add-in file in Excel’s default Trusted Location:

C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates

Add-ins placed here are automatically trusted.

Alternative Solution: Unblock the Add-in File

If adding the folder to the Trusted Locations list doesn’t resolve the issue, you may need to unblock the add-in file. This property was introduced with the Office security update for files downloaded from the internet.

Steps to Unblock the File:

1. Locate the add-in file (.xll) in File Explorer.
2. Right-click the file and select Properties.
3. Under the General tab, look for a Security section at the bottom.
   • If present, check the box labeled Unblock.
   • If the section isn’t visible, the file is not blocked.

4. Click OK to save the changes.
5. Close and reopen Excel.

Still Not Seeing the Add-in or Ribbon?

If the issue persists, it may be related to a group policy setting. For further troubleshooting, refer to this Microsoft article: Excel add-in not displayed in Ribbon due to group policy setting.