Overview
Almost every Mac installation problem comes back to three facts about how the Mac add-in works. None of them apply on Windows, which is why advice from a Windows colleague often will not help you. Those three facts are explained in Why Mac is different, and Troubleshooting maps each symptom to its cause and fix.
Quick answers
If you are troubleshooting a specific symptom, start here.
| What you are seeing | Go to |
|---|---|
| Datarails does not appear at all when you search the add-ins store | 1. There is no Mac installer |
| Formulas break, or Excel asks to convert the file, in a workbook from a colleague | 3. Mac and Windows workbooks are not the same file |
| Two Datarails add-ins appear, or the add-in keeps coming back after you remove it | 2. The listing depends on your region |
| You downloaded an installer from the Datarails website and it will not run on your Mac | Install the add-in |
| There is no "Remove Add-in" option, or the add-in reinstalls itself | Troubleshooting |
| You are rolling Datarails out to Mac users across your organisation | For IT teams deploying to Mac users |
Why Mac is different: three facts
1. There is no Mac installer — the add-in comes from Microsoft
On Windows, Datarails Flex is a program you download and run. On Mac it is an Office add-in, installed from inside Excel or from Microsoft AppSource. There is no .pkg, no download link on the Datarails website, and nothing for your IT team to push as a macOS package.
This has a consequence worth understanding: because Microsoft delivers the add-in, Microsoft's rules decide whether you can install it. If your organisation's Microsoft 365 settings block the Office Store, the Datarails add-in will not appear no matter how many times you search for it on your Mac.
2. The listing you need depends on your region, and there are several
Searching the Office Store from the UK returns Datarails Flex UK; from Canada, Datarails Flex CA; elsewhere, plain Datarails Flex. These are different listings. If your location and your Datarails data centre do not match, the one Excel shows you is the wrong one — install from Microsoft AppSource instead, where you can pick the right data centre.
3. Mac and Windows workbooks are not the same file
The Mac and Windows add-ins use different formula formats. A workbook built on Windows and passed to you through SharePoint, a shared drive or email keeps its Windows format, and its Datarails formulas will break when you open it — you will see Name or Value errors.
The fix is not to repair the file. It is to route it through Datarails: the file is connected to a Filebox, and each person downloads the version for their own platform. Use Download for Mac in the Workspace on Datarails Web (app.datarails.com).
How to
Install the add-in
- In Excel, go to Insert → Get my add-ins.
- Search for Datarails and click Add.
- The add-in appears under the Home tab.
If your region and your Datarails data centre differ, install from Microsoft AppSource instead, signed in with your work account, and choose the listing matching your data centre.
Get a Windows colleague's workbook working on your Mac
- Ask the colleague to connect the file to a Filebox in Datarails, if it is not already.
- In the Datarails web app, find the Filebox, click the three dots and choose Download for Mac.
- Work from that copy.
Do this each time rather than keeping a shared copy on SharePoint or a file server. Once the file leaves Datarails it is a Windows file again for the next person who opens it.
Remove or reinstall the add-in
- Go to Home → Add-ins → More add-ins → Manage your apps.
- Next to the Datarails entry, click the three dots and choose Remove.
- Re-install from Insert → Get my add-ins, then restart Excel.
A clean remove and re-install is worth trying early. It resolves a class of refresh errors that clearing your cache does not touch.
For IT teams deploying to Mac users
There is no macOS package to deploy and no Intune .pkg equivalent to the Windows installer. Mac users install from the Office Store themselves, or you deploy centrally through Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Integrated Apps.
Make sure users can reach https://app.datarails.com and https://static.datarails.com on port 443.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Datarails does not appear at all when you search the add-ins store | Your Microsoft 365 tenant has the Office Store turned off, or you are signed into Excel with a different organisation's account whose policy blocks it | This is set by Microsoft, not by your Mac — retrying will not help. Ask your administrator to open Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Settings → Org settings → User owned apps and services and tick Let users access the Office Store. Also confirm you are signed into your Microsoft Account in Excel. |
| You download an installer from the Datarails site and get an error saying your Mac is not compatible | That is the Windows add-in. It cannot be installed on a Mac | Install the Mac add-in from inside Excel instead: Insert → Get my add-ins. |
| There is no "Remove Add-in" option when you try to uninstall | The add-in was deployed to your whole organisation through Microsoft 365, which removes the per-user uninstall option | The missing option is itself the clue. A Microsoft 365 administrator must remove it: Admin Center → Integrated Apps, select the Datarails app, remove your access. |
| The add-in comes back after you remove it | It is being pushed to your device by your organisation | Your administrator should check Admin Center → Integrated Apps → Users & Groups and remove you from the deployment. |
| Two Datarails add-ins appear, or they reappear every time you restart | More than one listing is installed — typically a regional variant alongside the standard one, or the Mac and Windows add-ins together | Open Home → Add-ins → More add-ins → Manage your apps, remove all Datarails entries, then install exactly one. Only one version can be installed at a time. |
| The add-in icon sits on the right of the ribbon instead of in its own tab | Nothing is wrong. The Mac add-in is a side panel and appears in a different place from the Windows ribbon tab | No action needed. A correct Mac installation looks different from Windows. |
| The add-in disappears from Excel every so often and will not reinstall | A stale or regional listing is blocking the correct one | Remove any Datarails entry under Home → My Add-ins, then install from Microsoft AppSource signed in with your work account, choosing the listing for your data centre. If nothing works, reinstalling Excel itself has resolved it. |
| Formulas break and Excel asks you to convert the file when you open it | The workbook was created on Windows and reached you outside Datarails | Have the file connected to a Filebox, then use Download for Mac from the Filebox's three-dot menu. |
| You get a compatibility error uploading through the add-in, even though the file is .xlsx | The Mac add-in is web-based and cannot open the older .xls format. If the file is already .xlsx, it is the Windows/Mac format difference rather than the file extension | Download the Mac version from the Filebox rather than converting in place. |
| Converting the file changed it | The in-product Convert File button rewrites the workbook, and has been reported to drop rows | On a file that matters, take the Mac version from the Filebox instead of converting. If you have already converted, check row counts and totals before submitting. |
| A permission or access error on refresh, and you are the only Mac user | Two different problems look alike: the Filebox may not be shared with you, and the file may be in Windows format | Fix the sharing first (Collaboration tab on the Filebox), then re-check. If an error remains, it is the file format — use Download for Mac. |
| A second refresh throws a value error across the whole sheet | Add-in state problem | Clearing the cache does not fix this. Remove and re-install the add-in. |
| Datarails formulas return zeros on Mac | The report was submitted from an older Windows add-in | Have the Windows user update to add-in version 1.3.6 or higher, refresh and re-submit, then reopen the file on your Mac. |
Best practices
Keep the master copy in Datarails, not on a shared drive
Mixed Windows and Mac teams run into formula breakage whenever a workbook is passed around directly. Connect it to a Filebox and let each person download their own platform's version.
Install exactly one Datarails add-in
One listing, matching your data centre. Regional variants and the Windows add-in all conflict with it.
Prefer Download for Mac over Convert File
Both produce a Mac-compatible file, but only one of them leaves the original untouched.
If you are the first Mac user at your company, check the tenant settings first
Before troubleshooting the device, confirm the Office Store is enabled for your organisation and that you are signed into Excel with the right account. It is the single most common reason the add-in cannot be found.
Related articles
- Datarails Flex for Mac Installation — the installation steps themselves.
- Datarails Flex Add-In Overview — what the add-in does and how it is structured.
- Excel Add-in Errors & Troubleshooting — errors that are not specific to Mac.
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