VBA & Macro Problems

How to Fix Excel Custom Add-Ins That Stop Loading

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user is experiencing an issue where custom Excel add-ins fail to load automatically upon launching the application, sometimes showing incomplete filenames or throwing loading errors.

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening Microsoft Excel and expecting custom installed add-ins to load and be available automatically.
Observed behavior: The custom add-ins stop loading at startup even though their source files remain in the correct original locations. Manual reloading is sometimes required, and passwords set on certain add-ins may stop working temporarily.

Before you start

Verify that your custom add-in files (.xlam or .xla) have not been moved or deleted from their original folders, and ensure that your Trust Center settings allow macros to run.

Solution 1Recommended

Create an Auto_Open Macro in PERSONAL.XLSB

Since Microsoft has not provided a confirmed official fix for this specific add-in loading bug, the most reliable workaround is to force the add-ins to open automatically using a startup macro.

By utilizing the Personal Macro Workbook (PERSONAL.XLSB), which opens invisibly every time you start Excel, you can execute a simple VBA script that manually triggers your required add-ins to load.

Enable VBA Macros

Open Excel and navigate to File > Options > Trust Center. Click on 'Trust Center Settings', select 'Macro Settings', and choose 'Enable VBA macros'.

Generate the Personal Macro Workbook

If you do not already have a PERSONAL.XLSB file, go to the View tab, click Macros > Record Macro. In the 'Store macro in' dropdown, select 'Personal Macro Workbook', click OK, and then immediately click Stop Recording.

Open the VBA Editor

Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.

Write the Auto_Open Code

In the left Project Explorer pane, expand VBAProject (PERSONAL.XLSB) and open Module1. Type the following code: Sub Auto_Open() \n Workbooks.Open "C:\Path\To\Your\Addin.xlam" \n End Sub (replace the path with the actual file path of your custom add-in).

Save and Restart Excel

Click the Save icon in the VBA editor, close the editor, and completely exit Excel. The next time you open Excel, the macro will run automatically and load your add-in.

Handling Multiple Add-ins: If you have multiple add-ins that fail to load, you can add additional 'Workbooks.Open' lines inside the same Auto_Open subroutine for each add-in file path.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my custom Excel add-ins disappear after I close the program?

This often occurs due to overly restrictive Trust Center settings blocking the add-in, the add-in source file being accidentally moved or renamed, or an unresolved Microsoft Excel bug that fails to retain the COM Add-ins list configuration upon exit.

Where is the PERSONAL.XLSB file located on my computer?

The Personal Macro Workbook is stored in the XLSTART folder. On Windows, the default path is usually C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART.

How do I manually load a custom add-in in Excel?

Go to File > Options > Add-Ins. In the Manage drop-down box at the bottom of the window, select 'Excel Add-ins' and click 'Go...'. Click 'Browse' to locate and select your custom .xlam or .xla file, then click OK.

Excel & Data Problems