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Fix Power Query Workbook Not Refreshing on Mac
Question details
Users are unable to refresh an Excel workbook on Mac if it was created on Windows using specific Power Query and Data Model features.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Attempting to refresh a Windows-created Excel workbook containing Power Query connections on a Mac computer.
- Observed behavior
- The workbook fails to refresh on Mac because macOS lacks full support for the Excel Data Model and Power Pivot.
Verify whether your Excel workbook specifically relies on the Data Model or Power Pivot, and ensure you have updated Excel for Mac to the latest supported release.
Redesign Query to Load Results Directly to Worksheets
By bypassing the Data Model and loading query results directly into standard Excel tables, the workbook becomes fully compatible with Mac.
Excel for Mac supports basic Power Query refreshes, but it does not support the underlying Data Model (Power Pivot). To make a workbook refreshable on Mac, you must remove the Data Model dependency using a Windows machine first.
Launch Microsoft Excel on a Windows PC and open the affected workbook.
Go to the 'Data' tab in the ribbon and click on 'Queries & Connections' to open the side pane.
Right-click your query in the pane and select 'Load To...'. In the dialog box, select 'Table' instead of 'Only Create Connection'.
Ensure the checkbox for 'Add this data to the Data Model' is strictly unchecked, then click 'OK' to save your changes.
Save the modified workbook and open it on your Mac. You should now be able to click 'Refresh All' without encountering errors.
Refresh the Workbook in a Windows Environment
If you cannot remove the Data Model due to complex Power Pivot calculations, you must perform the refresh operation on a Windows operating system.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Excel for Mac support Power Query?
Yes, Excel for Mac does support Power Query authoring and refreshing. However, it does not fully support the Excel Data Model (Power Pivot). If a query is loaded to the Data Model instead of a regular worksheet, it will fail to refresh on a Mac.
How can I tell if my workbook uses the Data Model?
On a Windows PC, open the workbook and go to the Data tab. Click 'Queries & Connections'. If you see that a query indicates it is loaded to the Data Model, or if you have an active Power Pivot tab with managed data, the workbook relies on the Data Model.
Can I view existing Data Model PivotTables on my Mac?
Yes. While you cannot refresh or modify the underlying Data Model on a Mac, you can still view and interact with the existing cached data in PivotTables that were previously created and refreshed on a Windows computer.
Will updating my Excel for Mac fix the Data Model refresh issue?
Microsoft continually adds features to Excel for Mac, so staying updated is recommended. However, as of recent releases, full background Data Model and Power Pivot architecture remains limited on macOS compared to Windows.
