How To Install Power Query in Excel 2010

Power Query is a new add-in that was introduced in Excel 2013 by Microsoft. The add-in was so popular that they made it backward compatible with Excel 2010.

Key Takeaways

• Power Query is a free add-in for Excel 2010.
• It helps import, clean, and transform data quickly.
• Download the installer that matches your Excel bit version.
• Enable the Power Query add-in if the tab does not appear.
• Once installed, Power Query adds a new tab to the Excel ribbon

 

What is Power Query?

Power Query is a great tool for importing, cleaning, and transforming data in Excel. It can import data and combine data from multiple sources like Excel files, CSV, databases, web data, etc.

Instead of manually making the change every time, you can use Power Query to automate those tasks.

You have access to all functionality in Power Query at the press of a menu command!

 

How to Install Power Query

First, you need to have Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus with Software Assurance.  If you do not have this, then you will need to upgrade to Office 365 using this link:

https://products.office.com/en-us/home

STEP 1: The first step is to check the Excel bit version that you have on your PC.

To check the bit version, you need to go and open any Excel workbook and go to File > Help and on the far right-hand side, you will see the Version and the bit number in brackets, either (32-bit) or (64-bit).  Once you know this, close out of Excel completely!

 

STEP 2: You will need to click on the following link and download the Power Query add-in from Microsoft’s website:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39379

 

STEP 3: Press the Download button, and you will need to select the download bit version based on the bit system your Excel 2010 version is running (from Step 1):

Press the NEXT button…

…and this will start the download of the add-in installer .msi file installer on your browser (if you do not see this, go to your browser’s Downloads folder).

 

STEP 4: Click on the .msi file to run the installer:

 

STEP 5:  This will bring up the Microsoft Power Query for Excel Setup:

Click the Next button and accept the terms of the Licence Agreement and press Next again:

You will be asked in which destination folder you want to install Excel 2010 Power Query.

Click Next for the default folder or Change if you want to install it in another folder:

Click Next and select the Install button:

Click Yes if it asks you if you want to install Excel 2010 Power Query on your computer.  The install will now begin.

You will get the following message once your install has been completed successfully.  Press Finish!

 

STEP 6: Open a blank Excel workbook and on the ribbon menu you should now see the Power Query tab:

 

STEP 7: If you do not see the Power Query tab you will need to activate this from the back end of Excel.

You will need to go to File > Options > Add-Ins > and at the bottom, you will need to select the Manage drop down and choose COM Add-ins, and hit the Go button:

This will open the COM Add-Ins dialogue box and you will need to check the box for Microsoft Power Query for Excel and press OK.

You will now see Power Query for Excel 2010 on your ribbon!

 

FAQs

Is Power Query available for Excel 2010?

Yes. You can install it as a free Microsoft add-in.

How to know whether I need the 32-bit or 64-bit installer?

• Go to the File tab
• Select Help
• Check your Excel version

What can I do with Power Query?

You can import, clean, combine, and transform data from different sources.

How to check if Power Query is already installed?

To check if Power Query has been installed,

• Open Excel
• Go to the File tab
• Select Options
• Click Add-Ins
• Look for Power Query under “Active Application Add-ins.”

If it is present there, it means that Power Query is installed.

Can I use Power Query in Excel 2010 Home & Student versions?

No, Power Query is only supported in Excel 2010 Professional Plus editions.