Python & xl wings

Question

I use widows10 and have successfully installed Python and xl wings. But in my Customize Ribbon, xl wings is displayed as xlwings lite. Python did not display in the Customize Ribbon and was not found in the excel Add-Ins. What should I do?

Answer 1

Hello! Ono , Kimberly here, and I’m eager to jump in and help you fix this.

When you install xlwings, there are two things to be aware of:

The Excel add-in (ribbon tab)

This gives you the xlwings tab in Excel, where you see things like “Run Python” buttons.

If you see xlwings (Lite) in Excel, that’s normal:

The free/open-source version is called Lite.

You don’t need a separate “Python” tab — there won’t be one. xlwings is the bridge that lets Excel talk to Python.

The "full/pro" version is only available with a license; otherwise, it shows "Lite".

The Excel COM add-in vs. the Python engine

You don’t need to see “Python” in the Excel Add-ins list. Python itself is not an Excel add-in.

Instead, Excel calls Python through xlwings.

To make sure everything is working:

Check the add-in installation

Open a command prompt and run:

xlwings addin install

Then restart Excel. You should see the xlwings tab (Lite).

Test Python from Excel

Open a new workbook.

In a cell, enter:

=xlwings.version()

Press Enter. If everything is wired correctly, it will call Python and return your xlwings version number.

Link Excel to Python code

Save a workbook as .xlsm.

Press Alt+F11 → Insert a new module → paste:

Sub HelloFromPython()

RunPython ("import hello; hello.main()")

End Sub

Save a file called hello.py in the same folder as your workbook, with:

def main():

import xlwings as xw

wb = xw.Book.caller()

wb.sheets[0]["A1"].value = "Hello from Python!"

Run HelloFromPython from Excel → it should write into A1.

Bottom line is, it is expected that you only see xlwings Lite in the ribbon.

There will be no “Python” add-in entry, Python itself just runs in the background.

Should you have more questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Kimberly