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Power Map / 3D Map for Mac

Anonymous
2022-07-19T22:18:14+00:00

I have read a few articles, blog posts that explain me 3D Map / Power Map isn't available for Mac. Why ? What's the reason ?

I would love to be using that feature on my mac. Please make it available on Mac. I'm paying the same price than a licence for PC then I expect the same sofware and same features except if there is a technical reason for it not to be available on my computer but if there is, please explain me why my Macbook M1 isn't powerful enough to run that feature whereas a random PC would be able to.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For education | MacOS

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  1. Jim G 134K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2022-07-20T18:03:48+00:00

    Hi LEIB

    PowerMap/3D maps for Excel were implemented in Excel for Windows at a time when the Mac and Windows Excel teams were separate and were allowed to make OS specific features as long as the files were compatible (would not break even if the feature would not work) on the opposing platform. Most of those features remain, but starting with Office 2016 the rules changed and cross-platform equivalency has been the rule of the day since.

    PowerMap/3D Maps rely on COM add-ins, which are Windows-only and rely on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Active-X is Windows only. The data model and PowerPivot are Windows-only.

    Support for AppleScript and Objective-C programming language extensibility is Mac-only.

    Since 2016 Microsoft has dramatically narrowed the feature-gap between Excel for Mac and Windows.

    Specifically regarding the 3D Maps feature, your Mac is plenty powerful enough to run that feature. You can run Excel for Windows in a virtual machine using Parallels and you will be able to use the 3D maps feature with ease.

    The way things worked back in the day was Microsoft would test new potential features and release them as add-ins. Successful features then would get integrated into the main product. 3D Maps never made it to the main product. Personally, I love that feature, but I found the interface clunky and the maps hard to work with. Because they don't work on Mac, I never promoted the feature.

    In my way of looking at things, Microsoft made a bad mistake by making the data model and COM add-ins dependent on Windows.. It was a quick and dirty way to get the features up and running quickly. It appears the 3D map feature wound up in limbo. It didn't make the cut into the code base of Excel, but it didn't go away.

    In order for the data model to work in Excel for Mac, Microsoft will have to redesign the data model. Then they will have to re-do PowerPivot, and then they could do 3D maps for Mac, and hopefully this time around make it a robust, much easier to use and understand feature.

    You can leave feedback specific to Excel for Mac using the Help Menu and choosing I Have a Suggestion.

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-07-20T00:24:32+00:00

    Dear LIEB Guillaume,

    Good day! Thank you for posting in Microsoft forum.

    At present, Power Map / 3D Map has not been applied to Excel for Mac. Please understand that this is due to the difference in the functionality between the Windows version of Excel and the Mac version of Excel due to different operating systems.

    I completely agree with you, this is indeed a good addition to the current features of Excel for Mac. I took the liberty of creating an entry in our Feedback community link and my team has voted for this, Add 3D Map / Power Map to Mac Excel· Community (microsoft.com) or you can go to Excel feedback community to provide your feedback.  Our Product Team is in-charge of the site and they are constantly checking the comments and feedback from our customer.

    Thank you for pointing this out.  Microsoft continuously aim to improve the features of O365 Product and suggestions like this is very much appreciated

    With sincerest regards,

    Tin | Microsoft Community Moderator

    ***Note: In the event that you're unable to reply to this thread, please ensure that your Email address is verified in the Community Website by clicking on Your Account Name > "My Profile" > "Edit Profile" > Add your Email Address > tick "Receive email notifications" checkbox > click on "Save".***

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