9 Methods for Excel Ideas Button Missing Issue!

If you are an experienced Excel user, then you must aware of the “Ideas” button, which provides intelligent suggestions and insights based on the data in your spreadsheet. However, while using this feature you may face Excel ideas button missing issue, which can hinder your productivity. This article aims to explore the major factors behind this problem and provide inclusive solutions to fix it.

What Causes Microsoft Excel Ideas Button Missing Problem?

There are several reasons why the ideas button in Excel missing. Knowing these can help you troubleshoot the problem.

1. Outdated Excel Version
2. Inappropriate file type
3. Faulty Add-ins
4. Damaged Excel File
5. Corrupted Excel Installation.

 What to Do When Ideas Button In Excel Missing?

Here are the step-by-step ways to solve this problem.

#1: MS Office 365 Subscription

If you lack an annual MS 365 subscription, you don’t have Ideas command access on Excel.

This simply means that you need to buy (or have access to) an updated Microsoft Office version, and it turns up the ideas button on your MS Excel. Hence, it also makes a subscription to MS Office an important aspect to be considered.

#2: Internet Connection

Office Intelligence Services is something that powers the Ideas command. Therefore, to generate ideas commands for you on the basis of content, internet access is required by Excel.

If you’re offline or have spotty internet, you must troubleshoot the internet or look for alternate wifi.

Troubleshoot internet connection:

1. Do Right-click on ​the Internet Access from the taskbar
2. Click the Troubleshoot Problems
3. Follow prompts to resolve internet issues.

#3: Update Excel

Updating Excel software is another effective solution to solve errors and glitches. You can even try this trick to solve ideas button disappeared problem. To do so, follow these steps:

• Open Excel app >> click on Account.
• Then, choose Update Options >> Update Now.

• This will install all the updates for the software.

#4: Mixed Content

MS Excel might not function with mixed objects. Like adding a line, shape, or text box, might probably not let the Ideas button function. That is because it is intended to function with placeholders only.

Instead, you can even try doing copy/pasting on a blank slide to check if the Ideas button functions there.

Microsoft pushes monthly updates when you have 365 Office subscriptions, so expectantly they repair this matter in upcoming updates.

#5: Check MS Excel File Type

While saving your work, the Ideas tab will not function if the file type is not appropriate and will appear to be greyed out for you.

To resolve this, you need to simply save your document in regular .xlsxformat.

To do this follow the steps below:

1. Select Ctrl + Shift + S (or F12) on keyboard
2. Go to the location where your file needs to be saved
3. Click on Save as Type to see the drop-down menu and then select Excel Workbook
4. Then click on Save.

Hopefully, this will turn on the Ideas button for your Excel if it was greyed out previously.

#6: Disable Faulty Add-ins to Fix Excel Ideas Button Missing

Disabling the corrupted or damaged Excel add-ins can help you tackle this situation. To do so, follow the below instructions carefully:

• Open Excel >> choose Options >> Add-Ins.
• After this, choose COM Add-ins by expanding a ‘Manage’ dropdown.
• Lastly, click on Go button and uncheck all COM Add-ins then click OK.

 #7: Check with your Organization

If you have the latest MS 365 subscription at your workplace and you do not see the Ideas button in the menu tab, the organization you are working for may have turned off the feature.

Office Intelligence Services is a thing that IT administrators have the authority to turn off within the company. Therefore, if all the above workout fails, then you must check with your entity and get this resolved with the help of your IT Admin.

#8: Use Open and Repair Feature

If the ideas button in Excel missing due to a corrupted workbook, you can use the Open and Repair utility. This feature can fix the Excel file corruption for free.

Here’s how to use this tool:

• Open Excel
• Next, click File > Open option.

• Select the corrupted file to repair it.
• Now, click on ‘Open’ >> ‘Open and Repair’ >> Repair button.

That’s all…

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If, meanwhile, performing the task or fixing Excel errors, unfortunately, you lose your Excel data, then you can use the Excel File Recovery Tool.

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Steps to Utilize Excel File Recovery Tool:

How to Enable Ideas option in Excel?

Here are the steps to enable the ideas option in Excel:

• Launch Excel and then click on the File options
• Click on the General and under the Office Intelligent service check mark the Enable service box.

• If you find it already enabled then uncheck the box and check if again
• After that restart Excel to let the changes take effect.

Now after enabling the ideas option in Excel, select the data set in the cells and try generating the ideas in Excel.

If still facing the problem, then try the solutions given one by one and resolve the problem completely.

Related FAQs:

How Do I Get the Idea Tab in Excel?

To get the idea tab in Excel, click a cell in the data range >> click on the Ideas button by navigating to the Home tab.

What Is the Excel Ideas Tool?

Excel Ideas is an artificial intelligence-powered insights service to extract essential information from the spreadsheet that needs data formatting. This feature makes the work easy and allows creating presentations, spreadsheets, and professional documents in quickly by showing customized suggestions and insight when called.

Are Ideas Still in Excel?

In the latest versions of Excel, the Ideas feature is present in Analyze Data

How Do I Add Ideas to Excel Ribbon?

To add ideas to the Excel ribbon, you have to select a New Tab.

What Version of Excel Has Ideas?

The Excel Ideas function is available only in the subscription-based MS Office 365 Excel version or the Online Excel version. The one-time license version of Excel 2016 and 2019 is not having ideas functionality.

Final Thoughts

The Microsoft Excel ideas button missing can be a frustrating issue, but with a precise resolution, it can be solved easily. Ensure your Excel application is up-to-date, verify that the MS Office 365 subscription is enabled, and check for conflicting add-ins to regain access to this valuable feature.

Hope the article is helpful for you. If you are facing any other issue related to this specific one, let us know by sharing your experience on our social media FB and Twitter Page.