Excel Inquire Add-in: Complete Guide + Free Alternative
The Excel Inquire add-in is Microsoft's built-in workbook analyser — but most Excel users have never heard of it, and many who look for it find it's not included in their edition. Here's everything you need to know.
Quick Answer
The Inquire add-in is only available in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office Professional Plus, and enterprise Office 365 plans. It is not included in personal or standard business editions. If you don't have it, ExcelErrorFinder is a free browser-based alternative that finds errors, broken links, hardcoded values, and hidden sheets without any install or file upload.
What Is the Excel Inquire Add-in?
Inquire is a Microsoft-built COM add-in that ships with professional and enterprise editions of Microsoft Office. It was introduced in Office 2013 and provides structural analysis of Excel workbooks beyond what the standard Formula Auditing toolbar offers.
According to Microsoft's official documentation, Inquire is designed for "spreadsheet auditing" — understanding complex workbooks built by someone else, comparing versions of a model, and visualising how cells and workbooks relate to each other.
Which Excel Editions Include Inquire?
| Excel Edition | Includes Inquire? |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal / Family | ❌ No |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | ❌ No |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | ❌ No |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | ✅ Yes |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise | ✅ Yes |
| Office 365 E3 / E5 | ✅ Yes |
| Office Professional Plus 2013/2016/2019/2021 | ✅ Yes |
| Office Home & Student / Home & Business | ❌ No |
| Excel standalone (non-Professional) | ❌ No |
How to Enable the Inquire Add-in
- Open Excel → File → Options
- Click Add-ins in the left panel
- At the bottom, change the Manage dropdown to COM Add-ins and click Go
- In the COM Add-ins dialog, find Inquire and check the box
- Click OK — a new Inquire tab appears in the ribbon
If Inquire does not appear in the COM Add-ins list at all, your Excel edition does not include it. Check the table above to confirm which editions qualify.
What Inquire Can and Cannot Do
Workbook Analysis
Produces a report summarising the workbook — number of formulas, blank cells, formulas with errors, linked workbooks, external data connections, hidden sheets.
Workbook Relationship Diagram
Visual map showing how multiple workbooks link to each other through formula references. Useful when a model spans many files.
Worksheet Relationship Diagram
Shows how sheets within one workbook reference each other. Helps understand data flow in complex multi-sheet models.
Cell Relationship Diagram
Visual trace of all cells that feed into (precedents) or are fed by (dependents) a specific cell — across sheets and workbooks. The most powerful feature.
Compare Files
Side-by-side diff of two versions of the same workbook. Highlights changed values, formulas, and formatting.
Clean Excess Cell Formatting
Removes formatting applied far beyond the actual data range — a common cause of file bloat and slow performance.
Hardcoded values in formulas
Inquire does not specifically flag hardcoded numbers embedded in formulas (e.g. =A1*12 where 12 should be a named constant).
Error summary report
Workbook Analysis counts formula errors but does not give a plain-English explanation of each one or suggest fixes.
ExcelErrorFinder vs Excel Inquire
| Factor | ExcelErrorFinder | Excel Inquire |
|---|---|---|
| Requires specific Excel edition | No — works in any browser | Yes — Business Premium or Pro Plus |
| Works on Mac | ✅ Yes | ❌ Windows only |
| Install required | ❌ No install | ✅ Enable in COM Add-ins |
| File uploaded anywhere | ❌ Never — browser only | ❌ Never — local only |
| Time to first result | ~10 seconds | ~1 minute (enable + analyse) |
| Finds formula errors | ✅ Yes, with explanations | ✅ Yes, count only |
| Finds hardcoded values in formulas | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Finds hidden sheets / rows | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Broken external links | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Cell relationship diagram | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Compare two workbooks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free (if edition qualifies) |
Don't have Inquire in your Excel edition?
ExcelErrorFinder gives you a full error audit in your browser — no install, no edition requirement, works on Mac and PC. Finds every formula error, broken link, hardcoded value, and hidden sheet in your workbook.
Try ExcelErrorFinder Free →When Should You Use Inquire vs ExcelErrorFinder?
- Use Inquire when you need to understand the structure of a complex model built by someone else — specifically the visual cell dependency diagram and workbook comparison features. These are unique to Inquire and not replicated by any free tool.
- Use ExcelErrorFinder when you need a fast, private error scan and don't have access to Inquire (or don't want to spend time activating a COM add-in). Also better for Mac users and anyone working with confidential files who prefers a zero-install, browser-based workflow.
- Use both for complex model audits: ExcelErrorFinder for the error sweep, Inquire for the structural diagram.
See Also
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Excel versions include the Inquire add-in?
Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office Professional Plus 2013–2021, and Office 365 E3/E5. It is NOT in Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Business Basic, Business Standard, or Office Home & Student editions.
How do I enable the Inquire add-in in Excel?
File → Options → Add-ins → change Manage to "COM Add-ins" → Go → check Inquire → OK. If Inquire is not listed, your edition does not include it.
What is the difference between Excel Inquire and ExcelErrorFinder?
Inquire is built into specific Excel editions and provides cell relationship diagrams and workbook comparison. ExcelErrorFinder is a free browser-based tool (no install needed, works on any edition) that finds errors, broken links, hardcoded values, and hidden content — faster and without file upload.
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Try ExcelErrorFinder
Free browser-based Excel audit — no install, no upload, results in 10 seconds.
Try it free →