Do you want to install the Power Pivot add-in for Excel?

Power Pivot is a tool available in Excel that will help you analyze and summarize large amounts of data. But you will first need to install the add-in to use it.

This post will show you the different methods you can use to install Power Pivot in Excel.

What is Power Pivot in Excel?

Power Pivot is an Excel add-in that lets users perform powerful data analysis. It allows users to connect to multiple data tables, define relationships between these tables, combine them into a single data model, and then create calculations to perform complex analyses.

Power Pivot uses the Vertipak compression engine to store the data model. The compression engine is very efficient and allows you to work with millions of rows in memory. The add-in also comes with its own DAX formula language to summarize and aggregate the data model.

This is actually the same technology that Microsoft Power BI is based on!

What Versions of Excel is the Power Pivot Add-in Available?

Power Pivot is available as a downloadable add-in for some versions of Excel 2010 and 2013. You can download and install Power Pivot for Excel 2010 here.

The add-in is built into most other versions of Excel from 2013 onward. By default, it’s disabled but you can easily enable the add-in for use.

Add Power Pivot from the Options Data Menu

By default, you will not be able to find the Power Pivot tab in Excel.

It doesn’t come installed with Excel, so you will need to enable it if you want to use this great data analysis tool.

Here’s how you can add the Power Pivot add-in to your Excel.

1. Go to the File tab. This will open the Excel backstage menu area.

2. Go to the Options menu found in the lower left area of the backstage menu.

This will open up the Excel Options menu. This is such a useful menu that you should add the Excel Options to your Quick Access Toolbar for easy access.

3. Go to the Data section of the Excel Options menu.
4. Check the Enable Data Analysis add-ins: Power Pivot and 3D Maps option found in the Data option section.
5. Press the OK button to close the Excel Options menu.

Congratulations! You should now have the Power Pivot add-in installed and you will see a new Power Pivot tab in the Excel ribbon.

You can launch the Power Pivot add-in by going to the Power Pivot tab and clicking on the Manage command. This will open the Power Pivot editor.

💡 Tip: You can also launch the add-in by selecting some data in your Excel file and clicking on the Add to Data Model command to add data to Power Pivot.

Add Power Pivot from the Options Add-ins Menu

There is another location where you can enable the Power Pivot add-in. This is also found in the Excel Options menu.

1. Go to the File tab.
2. Select the Options menu.
3. Go to the Add-ins menu.
4. Select COM Add-ins from the Manage dropdown list.
5. Press the Go button.

This will open the COM Add-ins menu which shows you all the available add-ins you can enable for your Excel.

6. Check the Microsoft Power Pivot for Excel option.
7. Press the OK button.

This will enable the Power Pivot add-in and the new Power Pivot tab in the ribbon.

Add Power Pivot from the Data Tab

There is one more way to get the Power Pivot add-in in your Excel, and it’s the easiest of them all. It can be opened from the Excel ribbon Data tab.

Here’s how you can enable Power Pivot from the Data tab.

1. Go to the Data tab.
2. Click on the Manage Data Model command in the Data Tools section.

A popup will appear asking you if you want to Enable the Data Analysis add-ins to use this feature.

3. Click on the Enable button.

This will open the Power Pivot for Excel add-in as well as add the Power Pivot tab to the Excel ribbon.

Add Power Pivot from the Developer Tab

There is one last way to install the Power Pivot add-in to Excel. You can find the COM Add-ins in the Developer tab.

This tab is hidden by default, so you will need to add the Developer tab to the ribbon before you can proceed.

Go to the Developer tab and click on the COM Add-ins command.

This will open the same COM-Add-ins menu previously seen. Select the Microsoft Power Pivot for Excel option and press the OK button.

Conclusions

Power Pivot is the most useful add-in for Excel if you’re doing any sort of data analysis, but unfortunately, it doesn’t come installed with Excel.

The add-in is easy to enable and can be done from the Excel Options menu or the Data tab.

Have you used the Power Pivot add-in yet? Let me know in the comments below!