Error: Error Loading Add-Ins (on Mac)

Overview

While installing Velixo NX in Excel for Mac, you may encounter an issue when Excel shows an error 'Error Loading Add-Ins' in the Status bar, and it doesn't go any further.

Excel for Mac status bar showing the Error Loading Add-Ins message while installing Velixo NX

Clearing cache manually

Excel's add-ins are cached on Mac for performance reasons, and it needs to be cleared (either automatically or manually) from time to time.

The error above may indicate that the Excel cache needs to be cleared. The instruction below guides you through the process of manually clearing the Excel for Mac cache.

1. In your Finder on Mac, select Go -> Go to Folder…

Mac Finder Go menu showing the Go to Folder option to navigate to the Excel cache directory


2. Type in the following path and select the match that is found

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Caches/


Mac Go to Folder dialog with the Excel Containers Caches path entered to navigate to the cache folder


3. Delete all the contents of the folder:


Mac Finder showing the Excel Caches folder contents ready to be deleted to clear the add-in cache


4. Search for another path

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/16.0/Wef/
Mac Go to Folder dialog with the Excel Office 16.0 Wef folder path entered for the second cache location


5. Delete this folder's contents, as well:


Mac Finder showing the Wef folder contents ready to be deleted to clear the Excel add-in cache


6. Search for a few other locations that might exist and should be cleared along with the previous locations.

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2/Data/Caches/com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2/

~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2/Data/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2/

~/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.OsfWebHost/Data/


After the Excel cache on Mac is cleared, you can try installing Velixo NX in the usual way and you should not experience that error.

To learn more about clearing the Office cache please visit the original Microsoft article - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/testing/clear-cache#clear-the-cache-manually