Welcome to your first module! This guide will walk you through installing and activating XLBuddy. In just a few minutes, you’ll have our powerful tools ready to go right within Excel.

Step 1: Download and run the Installer

First, you need to download the installer file from our website. Click the download link from your trial request or purchase confirmation email. Your file will be named something like XLBuddySetup(version_number).msi.

Please be advised that upon downloading, some web browsers (e.g., Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge) may display a security notification indicating the file is "not commonly downloaded." This is a typical behavior for new software versions that have not yet established a large download history yet. If you are not sure if the installer is legitimate or not, please right click on it and go to the Properties > Digital Signatures. There you will see that it was signed by us, XLBUDDY PROSTA SPÓŁKA AKCYJNA, with date when it happened, which is a final and ultimate proof that the add-in comes directly from us. If that is so, you can proceed with installation.

1. Close Excel: Before you begin, make sure all instances of Microsoft Excel are closed. This ensures a smooth installation.
2. Run the installer file: Find the downloaded file in your Downloads folder and double-click it to run. You may see a Windows security prompt asking for permission; please click “Yes” or “Run” to continue.
3. Follow the Wizard: The installation wizard will guide you through the process. Simply click “Next” and accept our EULA to complete the installation.

Windows SmartScreen potential issues

When you first run the installer, Windows may display a blue pop-up from Microsoft Defender SmartScreen that says, “Windows protected your PC.” like the one below:

This is a built-in safety feature that appears for new or unrecognized applications. Because our software is new, SmartScreen might show this warning as a precaution. To continue, simply click the More info link within the pop-up. Afterward, a new button will appear at the bottom labeled Run anyway.

Clicking this will allow the installation to proceed normally. We can assure you that we did our best to ensure our application is safe, we digitally signed it, and this is a standard step for newly released software.

Step 2: Verify the Installation in Excel

Now that the installation is complete, let’s make sure the add-in is active in Excel.

1. Open Excel: Launch Microsoft Excel.
2. Find the XLBuddy tab on ribbon: You should now see a new tab in your Excel ribbon labeled “XLBuddy”. If you see it, you’re ready for activation! If the tab is not visible, please go to the troubleshooting section.

Step 3: Activate your license

The final step is to activate your license to unlock all the features.

1. Navigate to the “XLBuddy” tab on the ribbon.
2. Click on the “License” button.
3. A dialog box will appear. Click “Activate” button, accept our EULA and click “Activate online” button.
4. On the final screen copy the activation key from your email and paste it into the appropriate field.
5. Click “Activate”.

You should see a success message confirming that your license is activated. Congratulations!

Having trouble? A quick fix / advanced troubleshooting

If you don’t see the “XLBuddy” tab after installation, it might be disabled. Here’s how to enable it manually. We recommend going from Solution 1 to 3 – which one will work depends on your specific IT environment settings.

Potential solution 1 – auto-disable after installation

Excel might automatically disable an add-in if it suspects it caused a crash or slowed down the startup process. There are a few places to check if your add-in is in this state.

1. In Excel, go to File -> Options.
2. Select “Add-ins” from the left-hand menu.
3. At the bottom, next to “Manage:“, choose “COM Add-ins” from the dropdown and click “Go…”.
4. In the list that appears, find “XLBuddy” and make sure the checkbox next to it is ticked.
5. Click “OK”. The tab should now appear on your ribbon.

Potential solution 2 – Trust Center issues

Excel’s Trust Center has security features that can prevent add-ins from loading, especially if they are downloaded from the internet. Here we have three potential solutions:

2.1 Unblock the add-in file:

1. Locate the add-in’s installation files:
   • C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\XLBuddy\XLBuddy.dll
   • C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\XLBuddy\adxloader.XLBuddy.dll
   • C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\XLBuddy\adxloader64.XLBuddy.dll
2. Right-click on each file and select Properties.
3. On the General tab, at the bottom, you may see a security message that says, “This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer.” Check the Unblock checkbox and click OK.
4. Once all three files are fixed, please restart Excel and see if the add-in tab appears.

2.2 Add the add-in’s location to Trusted Locations:

1. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings….
2. Click on Trusted Locations.
3. Click the Add new location… button.
4. Browse to the folder where the add-in is installed “C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\XLBuddy\” and click OK.
5. You should also check the box for “Subfolders of this location are also trusted”.
6. Click OK on all the dialog boxes to close them and then restart Excel.

This will add the add-in installation folder as “trusted source” on your computer.

2.3 Disable option to run new add-ins – the last resort

• Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings….
• Click on Add-ins.
• Uncheck the checkbox “Require Application Add-ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher“.
• Click OK and check if the XLBuddy tab appeared on your ribbon.

Our add-in files have been signed with an EV code signing certificate from a well established Certification Authority. You can verify the certificate by right-clicking on the main project .dll file:

C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\XLBuddy\XLBuddy.dll

Go to Properties > Digital Signatures – there you will see it was signed by us, XLBUDDY PROSTA SPÓŁKA AKCYJNA, with date when it happened, which is a final and ultimate proof that the add-in comes directly from us.

You’re all set! With XLBuddy installed and activated, you’re ready to start creating your amazing reports and saving tons of time doing so! In our next module, we’ll dive into our first major feature: custom visuals.