Python in Excel Beta not Working for You? Here’s a quick fix

I am very interested in the new Python in Excel feature that’s currently rolling out on Microsoft 365’s Insider beta channel. The new functionality previews Python natively operating inside of Microsoft Excel and enables rich data analysis and data visualization possibilties amongst other functions that Python enables.

Announced in late August 2023, Python in Excel integrates Python directly in Excel allowing for a rich assortment of possibilities in how data can be manipulated and with a large marketing campaign behind the announcement with high-profile Microsoft Excel personalities all sharing their initial impressions and tutorials, it was already known that interest was going to be high.

With that said, many of these Youtubers and Excel sites went about downplaying activating Python in Excel as just enabling Microsoft 365 Insider and then shifting to the beta channel. After which you now have access to the version of Excel which supports Python out of the box. Sadly that’s not the case for most folks.

I learned this personally when I enabled the Beta channel in Excel but noticed I didn’t have access to the =PY function. Doing through the Microsoft forums, I can see I wasn’t the only one that was waiting a few days after the announcement to have not gotten the feature.

I can now see the Insert Python button in the Formulas bar, a feature I didn’t have when using local files. While this seems like placebo, mind you I have been trying to activate this feature to do a write-up for this site since August 22nd so I assure you this isn’t the only machine I had it on.

Posts in the Microsoft forums also show disappointed users who have been waiting since the 22nd still not having access to the Python in Excel preview up to this point. If you’re one of these people,  you can try creating a new file on OneDrive (C:\OneDrive) or in your online onedrive.live.com account and see if it works.

Now for those blowing this off and saying to “just wait”, take note that the eventual Python in Excel could be a paid service according to the launch announcement so don’t discredit people for wanting this now to see if its worth paying for or learning Python for.