How to Activate Excel's Power Pivot Add-In

The Power Pivot Ribbon interface is available only when you activate the Power Pivot Add-In. The Power Pivot Add-In does not install with every edition of Office. For example, if you have Office Home Edition, you cannot see or activate the Power Pivot Add-In and therefore cannot have access to the Power Pivot Ribbon interface.

As of this writing, the Power Pivot Add-In is available to you only if you have one of these editions of Office or Excel:

• Office 2013 or 2016 Professional Plus: Available only through volume licensing
• Office 365 Pro Plus: Available with an ongoing subscription to Office365.com
• Excel 2013 or Excel 2016 Stand-alone Edition: Available for purchase via any retailer

If you have any of these editions, you can activate the Power Pivot add-in by following these steps:

1. Open Excel and look for the Power Pivot tab on the Ribbon. If you see the tab, the Power Pivot add-in is already activated. You can skip the remaining steps.
2. Go to the Excel Ribbon and choose File→Options.
3. Choose the Add-Ins option on the left, and then look at the bottom of the dialog box for the Manage drop-down list. Select COM Add-Ins from that list, and then click Go.
4. Look for Microsoft Office Power Pivot for Excel in the list of available COM add-ins, and select the check box next to this option. Click OK.
5. If the Power Pivot tab does not appear in the Ribbon, close Excel and restart.

After installing the add-in, you should see the Power Pivot tab on the Excel Ribbon, as shown.