The Excel Add-In is not working for me. What should I do?

This article will help troubleshoot common issues with the Excel Add-In and will cover the following:

  • The Nasdaq Data Link tab is not appearing in Excel
  • Getting a #Name error
  • The formula did not fully complete
  • Installation Incomplete - the installer was interrupted
  • Waiting for OLE action to be completed
  • How to contact us if you're still experiencing issues or if your issue is not covered in this article

While troubleshooting, please note that another way to download data is via the Nasdaq Data Link API. Data may be downloaded as CSV files which you can open in Excel.

The Nasdaq Data Link tab is not appearing in Excel

If you've installed the Excel Add-In but the Nasdaq Data Link tab is not appearing in Excel, this is most likely because one of the components of our add-in is inactive or disabled. 


1. To ensure that the two components of our add-in are enabled, please follow these steps:

  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”,  choose “COM Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Excel Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Disabled Items” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel" and/or "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", please enable both of of these items. 

Once you've enabled both components, please check if the Nasdaq Data Link tab now appears in Excel. You may have to restart Excel as well as your computer for the Nasdaq Data Link tab to appear. 


2. If you do not see one or more of the components by following the steps above, please try to repair the add-in. To do this, go to to your computer's Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > click on the Nasdaq Data Link Excel add-in and click "Repair". Then, please try logging in to the add-in again. You may have to restart your computer first.

If you've followed all of the steps above and are still having trouble, please scroll down to the end of this article where we provide instructions on how to contact us. 

Getting a #Name error
If you are getting a #Name error, this is most likely because one of the components of our add-in is inactive or disabled. 

1. To ensure that the two components of our add-in are enabled, please follow these steps:

  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”,  choose “COM Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Excel Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Disabled Items” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel" and/or "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", please enable both of of these items. 

Once you've enabled both components, please check if you're still getting the #Name error.

2. If you do not see one or more of the components by following the steps above, please try to repair the add-in. To do this, go to to your computer's Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > click on the Nasdaq Data Link Excel add-in and click "Repair". Then, please try logging in to the add-in again. You may have to restart your computer first.

If you've followed all of the steps above and are still having trouble, please scroll down to the end of this article where we provide instructions on how to contact us. 

The formula did not fully complete
If you're seeing an error that says "formula did not fully complete", please follow these steps to troubleshoot: 

1. Check that formulas are enabled.
To do this, open Excel, go to the Nasdaq Data Link tab > Formulas and make sure it's set to enabled.

2. Repair the add-in.
To do this, go to to your computer's Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > click on the Nasdaq Data Link Excel add-in and click "Repair". Then, please try logging in to the add-in again. You may have to restart your computer first.


3. Ensure that all Windows updates are installed on your computer.

4. Ensure that both components of the Excel add-in are enabled.
To do this, please follow these steps:

  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”,  choose “COM Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Excel Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Disabled Items” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel" and/or "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", please enable both of of these items. 

Once you've enabled both components, please check if you are still getting the "formula did not fully complete" error. 

If you do not see one or more of the components by following the steps above, please try to repair the add-in. To do this, go to to your computer's Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > click on the Nasdaq Data Link Excel add-in and click "Repair". Then, please try logging in to the add-in again. You may have to restart your computer first.

5. Ensure that you only have one version of Excel on your computer. 
In order for our Excel add-in to work, there can only be one version of Excel on your computer - either 32-bit or 64-bit but not both. If you're not sure how many versions of Excel you have, we recommend uninstalling and reinstalling Office. This will ensure that you have only one version running on your computer. Once this is done, we recommend uninstalling the Excel Add-in from your Control Panel and then reinstalling it. You can download the Excel Add-In from here. 

If you've followed all of the steps above and are still having trouble, please scroll down to the end of this article where we provide instructions on how to contact us. 


Installation Incomplete - the installer was interrupted
If you are getting an error message saying the installer was interrupted, please follow these steps to troubleshoot: 

1. Ensure that all Microsoft Office and O/S updates have been installed on your computer.

2. If you have any firewall or anti-virus software turned on, we recommend turning it off temporarily and seeing if that allows you to install the add-in.

3. If you are getting any 1603 error, please refer to the following links, follow the steps and see if they help:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/834484/you-receive-an-error-1603-a-fatal-error-occurred-during-installation

https://www.sync.com/help/installation-error-1603/

If you've followed all of the steps above and are still having trouble, please scroll down to the end of this article where we provide instructions on how to contact us. 

Waiting for OLE action to be completed
If you are getting an error message saying "waiting for OLE action to be completed", please follow these steps to troubleshoot: 

1. Ensure that both components of the Excel add-in are enabled.
To do this, please follow these steps:

  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”,  choose “COM Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Excel Addins” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", check this off to enable this component of the add-in.
  • Open Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins then towards the bottom where it says “Manage”, please choose “Disabled Items” from the drop down and click Go. If you see "Nasdaq Data Link for Excel" and/or "Nasdaq Data Link Excel Add-In", please enable both of of these items. 

Once you've enabled both components, please check if please check if you are still getting the "waiting for OLE action to be completed" error. 

If you do not see one or more of the components by following the steps above, please try to repair the add-in. To do this, go to to your computer's Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > click on the Nasdaq Data Link Excel add-in and click "Repair". Then, please try logging in to the add-in again. You may have to restart your computer first.

2. Ensure that formulas are set to "Automatic" in Excel.
To do this, please open Excel, go to File > Options > Formulas and under Calculation Options, please make sure it is set to "Automatic" and not "Manual". Please see if this solves the issue. If this doesn't work, please try troubleshooting as per the steps shown on this article: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/excel-is-waiting-for-another-application

As per the article: 

There are three common reasons for the occurrence of this Microsoft Excel is waiting for another application to complete an OLE action message:

  1. Adding too many add-ins to the application, out which one or a few are corrupt.
  2. Excel tries to open a file created in some other application or derive data from an active one
  3. Using the ‘Send as Attachment’ option of Excel to send an Excel sheet in an email.

It is possible that the first 2 reasons may be applying to you. 

If you've followed all of the steps above and are still having trouble, please scroll down to the end of this article where we provide instructions on how to contact us. 

How to contact us if you're still experiencing issues or if your issue was not covered in this article
We understand that troubleshooting can be frustrating and we are eager to help. 

If your issue was not covered in this article, or if you have followed all of the steps above for your particular issue and are still having difficulty, please email us and provide the following information which will help us troubleshoot more efficiently: 

  • Describe your issue to us and what you've been doing step by step that results in this issue
  • Tell us all of the troubleshooting steps you've already taken, including any steps you've followed as suggested in this article
  • Confirm that you are the admin of your computer
  • Let us know what O/S you're using
  • Let us know your O/S regional and language settings
  • Let us know your Excel version and build number. You can see this when you open Excel and go to File > Account > About Excel.
  • Let us know if you are using 32 bit or 64 bit Excel
  • Let us know your Excel regional and language settings
  • Confirm that you were trying to install the latest version of our add-in from https://data.nasdaq.com/tools/excel or https://docs.data.nasdaq.com/docs/excel-installation
  • Please send the following screenshots from Excel:
    1. File > Account (take screenshot of everything shown)
    2. File > Account > About Excel (take screenshot of everything shown)
    3. File > Options > Add-ins (take screenshot of complete list of add-ins)

While troubleshooting, please note that another way to download data is via the Nasdaq Data Link API. Data may be downloaded as CSV files which you can open in Excel.

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