You can get the Microsoft Excel download for Windows 11, Windows 10 and Mac straight from Microsoft, with a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365. Excel also runs free in any browser and on iPhone, iPad and Android.
This guide covers which file your device needs, the official Microsoft links, installing on Windows and Mac, installing Excel without the rest of Office, the offline installer, and fixes when setup stalls.
Which Microsoft Excel download do you need?
What you download depends on the device and on the licence attached to your Microsoft account.
| Your situation | What to get | Price or size |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 or 10 PC, Microsoft 365 subscriber | Sign in and select Install apps | Included, 7.1 MB setup file |
| PC or Mac, no subscription, buy Excel once | Excel one-time purchase | $179.99 |
| Want to try the desktop app first | Microsoft 365 plans and free trial | Free for one month |
| Mac, with a licence already | Microsoft_Excel_Installer.pkg | 1.1 GB |
| Any browser, nothing to pay | Excel for the web | Free |
| iPhone or iPad | Excel on the App Store | Free, 453.9 MB |
| Android phone or tablet | Excel on Google Play | Free |
Every route above ends on a Microsoft, Apple or Google domain. A site that offers a free Excel .exe with no sign-in is not distributing Microsoft’s software.
Download Microsoft Excel from the official Microsoft sources
Microsoft distributes Excel from four places: the account portal, the product pages, the Office content delivery network, and the mobile app stores.
- Microsoft 365 install instructions — sign in at m365.cloud.microsoft/apps, then select Install apps
- Excel product page — plans, the free trial, and the free Excel for the web
- Excel one-time purchase — $179.99 for 1 PC or Mac
- Excel for Mac installer package — 1.1 GB · Microsoft_Excel_16.113.26091740_Installer.pkg from the Office CDN
- Mac suite package without Teams — 2.7 GB · Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote in one .pkg
- Office Deployment Tool — 3.4 MB · version 16.0.20326.20112, for installing Excel on its own
- Excel for iPhone and iPad — free, requires iOS 18.0 or later
- Excel for Android — free, published by Microsoft Corporation
On Windows, the account portal hands you OfficeSetup.exe, a 7.1 MB setup file. It streams Excel and the rest of Microsoft 365 from Microsoft’s servers during the install.
Is Microsoft Excel free?
Excel for the web and the mobile apps are free. The Excel desktop app is paid, with a one-month free trial. A Microsoft account gets Excel for the web at no cost, with 5 GB of cloud storage, and the iPhone, iPad and Android apps are free downloads. The desktop app needs Microsoft 365 Personal at $99.99 a year, Family at $129.99 a year, Premium at $199.99 a year, or a one-time Excel licence at $179.99 for one PC or Mac. Each Microsoft 365 plan starts with a one-month free trial that needs a credit card and converts to a paid plan unless you cancel. Sharing and co-authoring in the desktop app need a Microsoft 365 subscription. Any site selling a cheap Excel product key is not selling a licence Microsoft recognises.
Check the Microsoft Excel system requirements before you buy
Microsoft publishes one requirements list for Excel on the product page. These are the figures the installer enforces.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft Corporation |
| Latest version | 2608 (Build 20326.20158) on Windows, 16.113.1 on Mac |
| License | Paid, with a free web version and a one-month trial |
| Supported OS | Windows 11, Windows 10, and macOS Tahoe, Sequoia or Sonoma |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz, 2-core |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM on 64-bit, 2 GB on 32-bit; 4 GB on a Mac |
| Disk space | 4 GB free on a PC, 10 GB on a Mac |
| Display | 1024 x 768 on a PC, 1280 x 800 on a Mac |
| Graphics | DirectX 10 card for hardware acceleration |
| Architecture | 64-bit by default, 32-bit optional on Windows; 64-bit on Mac |
| Download size | 7.1 MB Windows setup file; 1.1 GB Mac package |
| Offline installer | Yes, on both Windows and Mac |
| Also required | Internet access and a Microsoft account |
| Last verified | 2026-09-19 |
Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 10 stopped gaining features at Version 2608. Those PCs keep receiving security updates until 10 October 2028.
How to install Microsoft Excel on Windows 11 and 10
The download starts from your account, not from a product page. Sign in with the account that holds the Microsoft 365 or Excel licence.
- Go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps and select Sign in.
- Sign in with the Microsoft account or work account that owns the licence.
- Open the Install apps drop-down and select Install.
- Select Run in Edge, Setup in Chrome, or Save File in Firefox.
- Select Yes at the Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? prompt.
- Leave the installer running until it reports You’re all set! Office is installed now, then select Close.
- Open the Start menu, search for Excel, and open it.
- Accept the licence agreement the first time Excel opens.
A Microsoft 365 install puts Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive on the PC alongside Excel. Keep 4 GB of disk space free for it.
Install Excel without the rest of Office using the Office Deployment Tool
The Microsoft 365 installer has no app picker, so it always writes the full suite. The free Office Deployment Tool does have one.
Name the product your licence covers, then exclude every app you do not want.
| What you need | What to use |
|---|---|
| The tool itself | Office Deployment Tool 16.0.20326.20112 |
| Microsoft 365 Personal or Family | Product ID O365HomePremRetail |
| Excel bought on its own | Product ID Excel2024Retail |
| Office Home 2024 | Product ID Home2024Retail |
| Apps you can exclude | Access, Groove, Lync, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, OutlookForWindows, PowerPoint, Publisher, Teams, Word |
| Fetch the installation files | setup.exe /download excel.xml |
| Install from those files | setup.exe /configure excel.xml |
A configuration file for Excel alone sets OfficeClientEdition=”64″ , names your product ID, and adds one
Run both commands from an administrator command prompt in the folder that holds setup.exe.
Install Excel offline with the Microsoft 365 offline installer
A slow line, a proxy or a firewall can stop the normal setup part way. Microsoft publishes an offline installer for that case.
- Open Microsoft’s offline installer page and follow its sign-in link.
- In the Install window, open Choose a version and select Offline installer.
- Select your language, then select Install.
- Wait for O365HomePremRetail.img to arrive in your Downloads folder.
- Double-click the .img file to mount it as a virtual drive.
- Open the drive, then run Setup64.exe for 64-bit Excel or Setup32.exe for 32-bit.
- Wait for the You’re all set message.
- Connect to the internet and open Excel once so it can activate.
The .img file carries the installation files, so the install itself runs without a connection. Activation does not.
Which Microsoft Excel download do you need for your Mac?
Microsoft ships Excel for Mac as an Apple installer package. Installing it needs an administrator account on the Mac.
| What you want | Package | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Excel on its own | Microsoft_Excel_Installer.pkg | 1.1 GB |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, no Teams | Microsoft_365_and_Office_Installer.pkg | 2.7 GB |
| The same suite with Teams included | Microsoft_365_and_Office_BusinessPro_Installer.pkg | 3.0 GB |
| Excel on an iPad | Excel on the App Store | 453.9 MB |
Excel for Mac supports macOS Tahoe, Sequoia and Sonoma. Macs on an older macOS keep running Excel but stop receiving updates, because version 16.101 and later need Sonoma or newer.
Every Office for Mac release since August 2016 is 64-bit only. The package does not activate Excel; sign in with your licensed account when Excel first opens.
Should you install 64-bit or 32-bit Excel?
Install 64-bit Excel. Microsoft 365 installs the 64-bit edition unless you pick 32-bit before setup starts. The 64-bit build handles large workbooks, many pivot tables, Power Pivot and Get & Transform better, because 32-bit apps can be limited to 2 GB of virtual address space and stop responding. Choose 32-bit only when a 32-bit COM add-in, ActiveX control or VBA code that calls 32-bit APIs has no 64-bit replacement.
How to check your Excel version and update it
Excel shows the version of the whole Microsoft 365 installation, not a number of its own.
- Open Excel and select File.
- Select Account.
- Read the version and build under Product Information.
- Select About Excel to confirm whether the install is 64-bit or 32-bit.
- Select Update Options, then Update Now.
- On a Mac, open the Excel menu and select About Excel to read the version.
- On a Mac, open Help, select Check for Updates, then select Update in Microsoft AutoUpdate.
Current Channel on Windows reached build 20326.20158 on 18 September 2026. Excel for Mac 16.113.1 shipped the same day.
How to check a Microsoft Excel installer is genuine
Excel is one of the most impersonated downloads on the web. The digital signature on the file settles the question in seconds.
- Check the address first. Genuine files come from microsoft.com, go.microsoft.com, officeapps.live.com or download.microsoft.com.
- On Windows, right-click the downloaded file and select Properties.
- Open the Digital Signatures tab, select the signature, then select Details.
- Confirm the signer name reads Microsoft Corporation. A missing Digital Signatures tab means the file did not come from Microsoft.
- On a Mac, open Terminal and run pkgutil –check-signature ~/Downloads/Microsoft_Excel_Installer.pkg .
- Confirm the certificate chain in the output names Microsoft Corporation.
- Close any page offering an Excel licence key far below $179.99, or a “free full version” setup file.
The Mac package is 1.1 GB. A small Excel download that installs with no sign-in and no licence is a different program using the name.
Fix Microsoft Excel not installing on Windows 11 or 10
The install fails part way through
A damaged or partial installation from an earlier attempt is blocking the new one.
- Restart the PC and start the install again.
- If it fails a second time, open Microsoft’s uninstall Office page and run the uninstall troubleshooter.
- Restart again once the troubleshooter finishes.
- Sign in and install from Install apps again.
Setup runs for hours and never finishes
A slow connection, a proxy or a firewall is throttling the stream from Microsoft’s servers.
- Confirm at least 4 GB of free disk space on the system drive.
- Pause other downloads and streaming on the network.
- Switch to the offline installer and run Setup64.exe from the mounted .img file.
- Retry on a network without a corporate proxy if the offline route also stalls.
Windows reports an unsupported operating system
Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 need Windows 11 or Windows 10.
- Press Windows + I and open System > About.
- Read the Edition and Version lines.
- Upgrade the PC to Windows 11 or Windows 10.
- Use Excel for the web in the meantime, which runs in any modern browser.
The Install button is greyed out
The subscription on that account has lapsed, or the sign-in used a different account.
- Sign out and sign back in with the account that bought the licence.
- Open Services & subscriptions in your Microsoft account.
- Renew the subscription if it shows as expired.
- Return to Install apps and try again.
Excel installs but will not activate
Activation is a separate step from installation, and it needs an internet connection.
- Connect the PC to the internet.
- Open Excel and select File > Account.
- Read Product Information to see which account the copy is tied to.
- Sign in with the licensed account if a different one is listed.
How to uninstall Microsoft Excel
Excel from Microsoft 365 is part of one installation. Uninstalling from Windows removes the whole suite.
- Press the Windows key and type control panel .
- Select Control Panel from the results.
- Select Programs, then Programs and Features.
- Select your Microsoft 365 or Office product, then select Uninstall.
- If the entry refuses to go, run the uninstall troubleshooter from Microsoft’s uninstall Office page.
- To drop Excel alone and keep the rest, run the Office Deployment Tool again with an
line in the configuration file. - On a Mac, open Finder, select Applications, and drag Microsoft Excel to the Bin.
Restart the PC after the uninstall finishes, then reinstall from Install apps if you are repairing a broken copy.
What you can use instead of Microsoft Excel
Check what the device already has before paying for a licence. Several of these cost nothing and open .xlsx files.
| Tool | Where it comes from | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Excel for the web | Microsoft, free with an account | Editing .xlsx with Excel formulas intact |
| Excel for iPhone, iPad and Android | App Store and Google Play, free | Reviewing and editing sheets away from a desk |
| Numbers | Apple, free on a Mac | Spreadsheets on a Mac with no subscription |
| Google Sheets | Google, free with an account | Browser editing with live sharing |
| LibreOffice Calc | The Document Foundation, free | An offline desktop spreadsheet at no cost |
Install the desktop app when you rely on Power Pivot, VBA macros or large data models. The free options cover everyday budgets, lists and shared sheets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Excel free?
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account, and so are the iPhone, iPad and Android apps. The Windows and Mac desktop app is paid: Microsoft 365 from $99.99 a year with a one-month free trial, or a one-time Excel licence at $179.99.
What is the official Microsoft Excel download page?
The Excel page on microsoft.com for plans and the free trial, and m365.cloud.microsoft/apps for installing after you sign in. Mac installer packages come from Microsoft’s Office content delivery network through go.microsoft.com links.
Does Microsoft Excel work on Windows 11?
Yes. Microsoft 365 and the Excel one-time purchase both support Windows 11 and Windows 10. Windows 10 PCs stopped gaining Excel features at Version 2608 and keep getting security updates until 10 October 2028.
How big is the Microsoft Excel download?
The Windows setup file is 7.1 MB and streams the rest during the install, which needs 4 GB of free disk space. The Excel for Mac installer package is 1.1 GB, and the Mac suite without Teams is 2.7 GB.
Is there a Microsoft Excel offline installer?
Yes. Microsoft’s offline installer downloads an O365HomePremRetail.img file that you mount as a virtual drive and install from Setup64.exe or Setup32.exe. On a Mac, the .pkg installer package already contains the full app.
Is there a Microsoft Excel download for Mac?
Yes. Microsoft publishes an Excel-only installer package of 1.1 GB and a full suite package of 2.7 GB. Excel for Mac supports macOS Tahoe, Sequoia and Sonoma, and needs a licence to edit files.
Is Microsoft Excel 64-bit?
Microsoft 365 installs 64-bit Excel by default, and a 32-bit build exists for legacy add-ins. Choose 64-bit for large workbooks and Power Pivot. Excel for Mac has been 64-bit only since August 2016.
Is it safe to download Microsoft Excel from other sites?
No. A genuine Excel file comes from microsoft.com, go.microsoft.com, officeapps.live.com or download.microsoft.com and is signed by Microsoft Corporation. Sites offering a free full version or a cheap key are not selling a licence Microsoft recognises.
Which Microsoft Excel version is current?
Current Channel on Windows is Version 2608, build 20326.20158, released on 18 September 2026. Excel for Mac is on 16.113.1. Check yours under File, then Account, then Product Information.
Why will Microsoft Excel not install?
The usual causes are a damaged earlier installation, too little disk space, an unsupported Windows version, or a lapsed subscription that greys out the Install button. Microsoft’s uninstall troubleshooter clears the first case.
Can I install just Excel without Office?
Yes. Buy the Excel one-time licence, or use the Office Deployment Tool with a configuration file that excludes every other app. The Microsoft 365 installer itself always installs the full suite.
Is Microsoft Excel free for students?
Excel for the web is free for anyone with a Microsoft account, students included. The desktop app needs a paid plan or a one-time licence unless your school provides one through its own Microsoft 365 licence.
