We've heard you. Across our communication channels, ArcGIS for Excel users have reported difficulty removing the ArcGIS for Excel add-in or being unable to stop a persistent prompt from reappearing even after the add-in appears to have been deleted. The friction around removing add-ins in Microsoft's Office platform is a known pain point. We want to address this with solutions that can work for you.
This post walks through the most common scenarios and the steps that have resolved the issue for users.
First: Understand Why This Happens
ArcGIS for Excel is a Microsoft 365 Office Add-in, which means its installation and removal behavior is governed by Microsoft's add-in framework not a traditional desktop installer. This creates two distinct situations that can look identical on the surface but require different fixes:
Scenario A: You self-installed the add-in from Microsoft AppSource and want to remove it yourself.
Scenario B: Your IT administrator deployed the add-in through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (Centralized Deployment), and you cannot remove it on your own.
Knowing which situation applies to you is the key first step.
Scenario A: You Installed It Yourself
Step 1: Remove the Add-In from the Home Tab
This is the most common mistake. Many users look for the add-in under File > Options > Add-Ins, but ArcGIS for Excel is an Office Add-in (web-based), not a COM or Excel Add-in. It won't appear in that list.
The correct path is:
- Open Excel
- Go to the Home tab on the ribbon
- Click Add-ins
- Find ArcGIS for Excel in the list
- Click the (...) menu next to it
- Select Remove
Step 2: Still Seeing a Pop-Up on a Specific File?
If you removed the add-in but a specific Excel file keeps prompting you to allow the ArcGIS add-in when you open it, this is a known Microsoft behavior. Excel embeds a reference to the add-in inside the workbook file itself, and removing the add-in from your account does not automatically scrub that reference from existing files.
The solution that has worked for community members:
Copy all your sheet contents into a brand-new workbook:
- Create a new blank Excel workbook
- Copy and paste all tabs and data from the original file into the new workbook
- Save the new workbook under a new name
- The add-in prompt will no longer appear in the new file
These steps can help you to resolve the phantom pop-up. The original file retains the embedded add-in reference, but the newly created file does not.
Step 3: Clear the Office Add-In Cache
If the add-in still appears to be active after removal, your Office client may be serving a cached version. Clearing the cache can resolve this.
On Windows:
- Close all open Excel workbooks
- Open a Command Prompt as Administrator
- Run the following command: rmdir /s /q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef"
- Reopen Excel
On macOS: Follow Microsoft's instructions for clearing the Office cache.
In Excel Online (browser): Clear only the Site settings cache in your browser's settings, rather than all browsing data
Scenario B: Your IT Administrator Deployed It
If the add-in was deployed to you through your organization's Microsoft 365 Admin Center, you will not be able to remove it yourself, this is by design in Microsoft's Centralized Deployment framework. The option to remove will simply not appear.
In this case, you need to contact your IT administrator and request that they either:
- Remove you from the deployment group assigned to the ArcGIS for Excel add-in, or
- Remove the add-in entirely from the organization's deployment in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under Settings > Integrated Apps
Once an admin removes or reassigns the deployment, the add-in can take up to 24 hours to disappear from your Excel instance.
