In Excel 2013 Inquire was available only under certain licenses, such as Pro Plus. I recall reading that MSFT's Office team was supposed to straighten out their convoluted licensing system beginning w/ Office 2016, & IIRC Inquire s/b more widely available.
OpenSolver is updated whenever new features are added or bugs fixed. Please check out the blog page for release details. You can also use the built-in update checker to keep up-to-date with the latest release.
OpenSolver comes in two versions, a simpler “linear” version and an “advanced” (non-linear) version with support for more solvers, including non-linear solvers. Both versions are available for Mac and Windows. On Windows, OpenSolver should work with Excel 2007 and later; we test it on 32 and 64 bit Windows 7/10 in Excel 2010/2013/2016. (Older versions worked with Excel 2003, but we don’t test this any more.) On Mac OS X, it should work using Excel for Mac 2011 with any version of OS X newer than 10.7.
OpenSolver for Mac: OpenSolver currently has limited support for Excel 2016 for Mac. Version 2.8.3 of OpenSolver includes initial support for Excel 2016 for Mac, and supports model creation and modification, as well as solving with the CBC and Gurobi solvers. Make sure your version of Excel 2016 is at least 15.28 for this to work. Unfortunately, the late 2018 release of Excel 16.16.7 has broken OpenSolver; if you can help us debug this, please email us at email hidden; JavaScript is required. However, our user Alexander reported in April 2019 that “OpenSolver works for MacOS HighSierra with the latest Excel update 16.24, but if you upgrade your OS to Mojave it no longer works.” (Thanks, Alexander.)
Windows July 2016 Office Security Update Microsoft updated the security requirements for add-ins in July 2016. You now need to “Unblock” the .zip file before extracting the files; please see the instructions below and this help item.
Available Downloads
OpenSolver Linear: This is the simpler version that solves linear models using the COIN-OR CBC optimization engine, with the option of using Gurobi if you have a license. Most people use this version.
OpenSolver Advanced (Non-Linear): As well as the linear solvers, this version includes various non-linear solvers and support for solving models in the cloud using NEOS; more info is here. Much of this code is still new and experimental, and so may not work for you.
You can see all our downloads, including previous versions, on our Open Solver Source Forge site.
To download and use OpenSolver:
- Download the OpenSolver Linear zip file (either Mac or Windows, selected automatically depending on the machine you are using to visit this page). You can also try out our experimental Advanced Non-linear OpenSolver for Windows (also available for Mac) for access to non-linear solvers.
- Right click the downloaded zip file, choose Properties, and click the “Unblock” button or checkbox. If you don’t see this button (or an equivalent checkbox), you can skip this step. (This step is a new requirement following a July 2016 update to Excel.)
Close the Properties window. - Extract the files to a convenient location. (All files and sub-folders, including OpenSolver.xlam, must stay together; please do not move any files or folders out of the unzipped OpenSolver folder.) OpenSolver on Windows may not work if installed to an unmapped directory such as servermyfiles or one that contains unicode characters.
- Double click on OpenSolver.xlam. There may then be a small wait as Excel checks the digital signature on the OpenSolver code.
- If asked in an Excel Security Notice, give Excel permissions to enable the OpenSolver macros. You can click Trust all from Publisher if you do not want to be shown the Excel Security Notice again.
- The OpenSolver commands will then appear under Excel’s Data tab on Windows, or in the Menu Bar on a Mac.
- If using Excel for Mac 2016, follow the instructions further down the page to set up the solvers
- OpenSolver relies on open source solvers developed by COIN-OR; please consider donating to COIN-OR.
Signed Code: Note that as of October 2014, the OpenSolver code is signed by the publisher “The University of Auckland”. This makes the code more secure. However, Excel will occasionally need to check the digital signature by contacting servers online, which can take a few seconds.
Support our Solver Community: OpenSolver includes open source solvers developed by COIN-OR. Without these, OpenSolver would not exist. Please support our solver developers by donating to COIN-OR.
Make OpenSolver Installation Permanent: OpenSolver will be available until you quit Excel. If you wish, there are two ways you can make OpenSolver permanently available in Excel. Either, use OpenSolver… About OpenSolver…. and check “Load OpenSolver when Excel starts”, or you can copy the files from the .zip into the Excel add-in directory. This is typically:
Windows XP:
C:Documents and Settings'user name'Application DataMicrosoftAddins
Windows Vista and later (7, 8, 8.1):
C:Users'user name'AppDataRoamingMicrosoftAddins
Mac OSX:
/Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Add-Ins
The Excel Solver is a product developed by Frontline Systems for Microsoft. OpenSolver has no affiliation with, nor is recommended by, Microsoft or Frontline Systems. All trademark terms are the property of their respective owners.
![For For](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126244154/926527047.jpg)
Installing Solvers on Excel for Mac 2016
If you are running Excel 2016 on Mac, you need to install the solvers after unzipping OpenSolver. Inside the unzipped folder, go to
Solvers/osx
you will find a file called “OpenSolver Solvers.pkg”. Open this file and click through the prompt to set up the solvers on your computer (you will need to enter the administrator password to do so). After this you will be able to use OpenSolver as normal.Using Gurobi on Excel for Mac 2016
Because of the sandbox, Gurobi is unable to find its license file when we start it from OpenSolver. This can be fixed by copying the license file “gurobi.lic” (which usually is in your home folder) to the following folder:
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data
Alternatively, you can open a terminal and paste the following command to put the license file in the right place (if your license file is in a non-default location you will need to modify this command first):
cp ~/gurobi.lic ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data
Why do we need an installer for Excel 2016 on Mac?
Office for Mac 2016 is sandboxed, meaning that it can only run executables that are located in a set of whitelisted directories on the computer. We need to place the Solvers directory into one of these whitelisted locations so that we can run the solver binaries for OpenSolver. This folder is write-protected and needs admin privilege to modify, so we provide the installer to streamline the setup process.
Office Add-ins aren’t the only ones that you can use to extend Excel 2016’s built-in features in some way. You can also use built-in add-ins created by Microsoft or third-party Excel add-ins that you can purchase from a wide variety of vendors.
Before you can use any Excel add-in program, the add-in must be installed in the proper folder on your hard drive, and then you must select the add-in in the Add-Ins dialog box.
There are two different types of Excel add-in programs immediately available that you can use to extend the features in Excel 2016:
- Excel Add-ins: This group of add-ins (also known as automation add-ins) is designed to extend the data analysis capabilities of Excel. These include Analysis ToolPak, Euro Currency Tools, and Solver.
- COM Add-ins: COM (Component Object Model) add-ins are designed to extend Excel’s capability to deal with and analyze large amounts of data in data models (collections of related database tables). These include Inquire, Microsoft Office PowerPivot for Excel, and Power View.
When you first install Excel 2016, the add-in programs included with Excel are not loaded and therefore are not yet ready to use. To load any or all of these add-in programs, you follow these steps:
- Click the File menu button, click Excel Options or press Alt+FT to open the Excel Options dialog box, and then click the Add-Ins tab.The Add-Ins tab lists all the names, locations, and types of the add-ins to which you have access.
- (Optional) In the Manage drop-down list box at the bottom, Excel Add-Ins is selected by default. If you want to activate one or more of your COM add-ins, select COM Add-Ins from the Manage drop-down list.
- Select the Go button.If Excel Add-Ins was selected in the Manage drop-down list box, Excel opens the Add-Ins dialog box (similar to the one shown), showing all the names of the built-in add-in programs you can load. If COM Add-Ins was selected, the COM Add-Ins dialog box appears instead.
- Click the check boxes for each add-in program that you want loaded in the Add-Ins or COM Add-Ins dialog box.Click the name of the add-in in the Add-Ins Available list box to display a brief description of its function at the bottom of this dialog box.
- Click the OK button to close the Add-Ins or COM Add-Ins dialog box.Activating built-in Excel add-ins in the Add-Ins dialog box.
When you first install Excel 2016, the program automatically loads all four add-ins (Analysis ToolPak, Analysis ToolPak – VBA, Euro Currency Tools, and Solver Add-In) displayed in the Add-Ins Available list box. The tools in the two Analysis ToolPaks are added as special functions to the Function Library group and the Euro Currency tools to a Solutions group on the Formulas tab. The Solver add-in appears in the Analysis group on the Data tab.
Excel add-in programs are saved in a special file format identified with the .XLL or .XLAM (for Excel Add-in) filename extension. These files are normally saved inside the Library folder (sometimes in their own subfolders) that is located in the Office16 folder. The Office16 folder, in turn, is located in your Microsoft Office folder inside the Program Files folder on your hard drive (often designated as the C: drive). In other words, the path is
After an add-in program has been installed in the Library folder, its name then appears in the list box of the Add-Ins dialog box.
If you ever copy an XLAM add-in program to a folder other than the Library folder in the Office16 folder on your hard drive, its name won’t appear in the Add-Ins Available list box when you open the Add-Ins dialog box. You can, however, activate the add-in by clicking the Browse button in this dialog box and then selecting the add-in file in its folder in the Browse dialog box before you click OK.
Managing the standard Excel add-ins
Whether you know it or not, you already have a group of add-in programs waiting for you to use. The following Excel add-in programs are loaded when you install Excel 2016:
- Analysis ToolPak: Adds extra financial, statistical, and engineering functions to Excel’s pool of built-in functions.
- Analysis ToolPak – VBA: Enables VBA programmers to publish their own financial, statistical, and engineering functions for Excel.
- Euro Currency Tools: Enables you to format worksheet values as euro currency and adds a EUROCONVERT function for converting other currencies into euros. To use these tools, click the Euro Conversion or Euro Formatting buttons that appear on the Ribbon in the Solutions group at the end of the Formulas tab.
- Solver Add-In: Calculates solutions to what-if scenarios based on cells that both adjust and constrain the range of values. To use the Solver add-in, click the Solver button that appears on the Ribbon in the Analysis group at the end of the Data tab.
To use one of the additional statistical or financial functions added as part of the Analysis ToolPak add-in, you don’t access the Add-Ins tab. Instead, click the Function Wizard button on the Formula bar, select either Financial or Statistical from the Select a Category drop-down list, and then locate the function to use in the Select a Function list box below.
Managing Excel COM add-ins
The following COM add-in programs are included when you install Excel 2016:
- Inquire: Facilitates the review of workbooks to understand their design, function, inconsistencies, formula errors, and broken links. You can also use Inquire to compare two workbooks to reveal their differences.
- Microsoft Power Map for Excel: Enables you to map geographic data on an interactive 3D globe.
- MicrosoftPower Pivot for Excel: Enables you to build complex data models using large amounts of data. It also facilitates data queries using DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) functions.
- MicrosoftPower View for Excel: Provides the means for the interactive data exploration and visual presentation of the data in your Excel data models, encouraging ad-hoc (on-the-spot) data queries.
Keep in mind that you readily manage your COM add-ins using the COM Add-Ins button in the Add-Ins group on the Developer tab. (To display the Developer tab in Excel 2016, choose File→Options→Customize Ribbon [Alt+FTC] and then select the check box in front of Developer in the Main Tabs list box before you click OK.) When you select the COM Add-Ins button, Excel opens the COM Add-Ins dialog box that shows all of the COM add-ins that are installed and activated. Here, you can activate and deactivate individual add-ins as needed.
Purchasing third-party add-ins
The add-ins included with Excel are not the only Excel add-ins that you can lay your hands on. Many third-party vendors sell Excel add-ins that you can often purchase online and then immediately download onto your hard drive.
To find third-party vendors and get information on their add-ins, open your web browser and search for Excel add-ins.
Even before you do a web search, you may want to visit the Add-Ins.com website.
This online outfit offers a wide variety of useful Excel add-ins. One example is the Name Splitter that automatically splits full names that have been entered into single cells into individual first name, middle name or initial, and last name cells (so that the list can then be better sorted and filtered by parts of the names).
Note that you can expect to pay Add-Ins.com between $25 and $50 for add-in programs such as these (really reasonably priced if you consider how many hours it would take to split up names into separate cells in huge worksheets).