Excel add ins will not load

Hans Knudsen 40 Reputation points
2026-04-22T11:27:37.9633333+00:00

I have a Microsoft 365 license and every time I try to install an Excel add in I get the following message:Something went wrong. Please try again later.

And that I have done many, many times without any luck.

What Can I do?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Other
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Answer accepted by question author
Katerina-N 9,285 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-22T17:59:44.3466667+00:00

Hello Hans Knudsen,

I see that you have the“Something went wrong. Please try again later” error when installing Excel add-ins with a Microsoft 365 Home license. Let me assist you further.

My suggestion for you:

1.Clear Office add‑in cache

  • Close Excel
  • Press Win + R
  • Paste: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef
  • Delete all files in this folder
  • Reopen Excel > Insert > Get Add-ins
  1. Disable existing add-ins
  • Excel > File > Options > Add-ins
  • Manage: COM Add-ins > Go
  • Uncheck all add-ins
  • Restart Excel
  • Try installing the add‑in again
  1. Update Microsoft 365
  • Excel > File > Account
  • Select Update Options > Update Now
  • Restart Excel
  1. Enable connected experiences
  • Excel > File > Options > Trust Center
  • Trust Center Settings
  • Privacy Options
  • Turn ON: Allow Office to connect to the internet, Enable connected experiences
  • Restart Excel
  1. Test Excel Safe Mode
  • Press Win + R
  • Run: excel /safe
  • Try installing the add‑in
  1. Online repair Office
  • Settings > Apps > Installed apps
  • Select Microsoft 365
  • Modify > Online Repair
  • Restart PC

For more information, please check: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/microsoft-365-apps/excel/available-resources-errors

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/microsoft-365-apps/office-suite-issues/errors-when-office-add-ins-start

I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to reach back if you have further update or more questions.

Best Regards,

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-22T11:28:01.43+00:00

    Follow these steps to troubleshoot Excel add-ins that won’t install and show “Something went wrong. Please try again later.”

    1. Close Excel and all Office apps.
    2. Check system date and time:
      • Make sure the computer’s date, time, and time zone are correct.
      • Incorrect time can cause issues when verifying the add-in’s manifest.
    3. Reinstall the add-in:
      • Open Excel again and try installing the add-in from the Office Store.
    4. If the error persists, validate the add-in’s manifest (for custom or sideloaded add-ins):
      • Follow the steps in “Validate an Office Add-in's manifest” to ensure the manifest file is valid.
    5. If the add-in package might have been corrupted or tampered with:
      • Download the add-in again from the original source.
      • Reinstall it and test.
    6. If still failing, contact the add-in publisher for support, as the package itself may be the problem.
    7. Optionally, send feedback to Microsoft from within Office:
      • In Excel, select Help > Feedback > Report a problem and include that the error appears when installing add-ins.

    If instead of “Something went wrong” you see “We can't start this app because it isn't set up properly” when installing from the Office Store, there may be incorrect registry information. In that case, a Windows user can:

    1. Exit all Office apps.
    2. Open Registry Editor and go to:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\WEF\Providers
    3. For each subkey under Providers:
      • Check the UniqueId value.
      • If it equals <GUID>_ADAL (for example, 3a975b5d-ad3e-4e3d-84b0-a7e6776ba6a6_ADAL) or Anonymous, delete that subkey.
    4. Close Registry Editor.
    5. Delete the folder:
      • C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef
    6. Reopen Excel and try installing the add-in again.

    Editing the registry is risky; back up the registry first and only change the keys described.

    References:

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

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