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There is no quick analysis tool or an ideas button for Excel on Mac, Office 365

Anonymous
2022-06-20T19:26:05+00:00

I've tried everything I could think of to have workarounds for these two items and nothing else works. I'm at my wits' end. I don't know why excel for windows and Mac is not the same.

if anyone has new suggestions for these options, please share. this is mid-2022 and the latest questions and answers regarding these two items are still back from 2021 or 2020.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | MacOS

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  1. Jim G 134K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2022-06-21T17:15:04+00:00

    Hi

    Microsoft has used the term "ideas" loosely over the years.

    I think the most recent iteration of the term was replaced on both Mac and Windows by the Analyze Data button on the Home tab of the Ribbon.

    Sometimes I think there is an exclusive team at Microsoft that takes perfectly good features, terms, and icons and changes them into new meanings.

    There was a different Ideas feature that displayed on line pictures you can use. The feature now has a new name.

    There was yet another ideas feature that let you search for things in the Excel interface. It's still there in Mac Excel, way up at the top of your screen. Look for the ideas light bulb. This is now gone in Windows Excel, which now has a search feature in the title bar of the workbook. I don't know if or when this new source of confusion will be implemented in Mac Excel.

    Regarding the Quick Analysis tool, which displays for an Excel table as shown here in Excel for Windows:

    This feature is a bit controversial. It was introduced on Windows Excel. Some people like it a lot, but Microsoft got a lot of feedback that it is unnecessary and fills the screen with clutter providing no new functionality. Everything in the tool already exists in several other places in Excel. A lot of people feel strongly that this feature ought to go. Because the feature did not get a warm reception or many people using it on Windows, Microsoft has not implemented it on Mac. If you wish to express your opinion to Microsoft on this topic, use the Help menu in Mac Excel and choose Feedback > I Have a Suggestion.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-06-20T22:55:06+00:00

    Hi, I'm Elise, and I'd be happy to help with your issue.

    Unfortunately it has been the case for many years that the Mac version of Excel does not have all of the features of the Windows version. There is no timetable for the features you have mentioned being added, but new features are being added with each update.

    Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

    Kind Regards,

    Elise

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