Anansi Data for Excel — Setup Guide

Install the Anansi Data add-in for Microsoft Excel — as an individual, or org-wide through Microsoft 365.

Last Updated: 2026-Aug-03

The Anansi Data add-in puts your licensed datasets directly inside Excel: search any series, insert it as a formatted sheet with metadata and a chart, and stay current without re-downloads.

One manifest file serves every environment. Download the manifest (anansi-excel-manifest.xml), then follow the guide for your situation below. The add-in's code loads from our servers, so updates are automatic — you never need to reinstall unless we announce a manifest change.

After installing, everyone signs in the same way — with an anansidata.com account. Don't have one? Create an account and start a free trial first; trials work in Excel too.

For organizations: Microsoft 365 Centralized Deployment

Your Microsoft 365 administrator does this once; the add-in then appears automatically in Excel for every assigned user — nothing to install on their side.

  1. Download the manifest file.
  2. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center → Settings → Integrated apps.
  3. Click Upload custom apps → choose Office Add-in → Upload manifest file and select the downloaded manifest.
  4. Assign the add-in to everyone, or to specific users/groups.
  5. Accept the permissions and deploy.

Propagation can take up to 24 hours (usually much faster). Assigned users will find an Anansi Data button on Excel's Home tab. To remove or re-scope access later, return to Integrated apps.

For individuals — Excel on the web (simplest)

  1. Open a workbook at excel.cloud.microsoft.
  2. Insert tab → Add-ins (or Office Add-ins) → Upload My Add-in.
  3. Select the downloaded manifest file → Upload.
  4. The Anansi Data button appears on the Home tab.

For individuals — Excel for Windows

  1. Save the manifest file into a folder, e.g. C:\AnansiAddin\.
  2. Right-click the folder → Properties → Sharing → Share… → share with yourself → note the network path (\\YOURPC\AnansiAddin).
  3. In Excel: File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Trusted Add-in Catalogs.
  4. Paste the network path as the Catalog URL, click Add catalog, and tick Show in Menu. OK out and restart Excel.
  5. Insert → My Add-ins → SHARED FOLDER → Anansi Data → Add.

For individuals — Excel for Mac

  1. In Finder press Cmd+Shift+G and go to ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Documents/wef (create the wef folder if it doesn't exist).
  2. Copy the manifest file into it and restart Excel.
  3. Insert → My Add-ins (dropdown arrow) → Anansi Data.

Signing in & access

  • Sign in with your anansidata.com email and password. Your session persists across Excel restarts; use Sign out in the pane header to end it.
  • What you can access mirrors your website account exactly: subscriptions give full data; free trials work in Excel too (with the trial's record and date-range limits shown in the pane).
  • Accounts, trials, subscriptions and password resets are all managed on this website — the pane links here when needed.

Troubleshooting

  • No Anansi button after deployment — wait for propagation (up to 24 h for Centralized Deployment), then restart Excel. Windows sideload: confirm the Trusted Add-in Catalog path and that Show in Menu is ticked.
  • "Sign-in failed" — check your credentials on the website first; if the website works but Excel doesn't, your network may be blocking *.googleapis.com (used for sign-in) or excel.anansidata.com.
  • "Your email address is not verified" — click the verification link we emailed at signup, then sign out and back in inside Excel.
  • Data looks capped — trial limits apply (shown in the yellow notice); subscribe for full history.

Still stuck? Contact us and we'll get you set up.