Library Help: Teaching and learning

Many of the functions found in the Bloomberg terminal can also be accessed directly from the desktop version of Excel if you install the Bloomberg Excel add-in. Take care to download just what you really need because there is a monthly download limit on each Bloomberg PC.

To install:

1. Close Excel and click: ‘Start > All Programs > Bloomberg > Install Office Add-ins’.
2. A window will appear, click ‘Install’.
3. The next window shows the installation status of the Bloomberg add-in for Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
4. If this process does not work first time; try opening and closing Excel and repeating the above steps.
5. If this process still does not work, we may need to run the Bloomberg API Environment Diagnostics tool. See below or contact the Library for support.

Note: You will need to repeat this process each time you log onto a Bloomberg PC.

You can find more information in our post Introduction to Bloomberg Excel add-in. 

How to run the API environment diagnostics tool

If you have tried the above steps and still do not have access to the Bloomberg Excel add-in, follow the steps below:

1. Make sure you are running the Bloomberg terminal software. Make sure you are logged in.
2. Close all Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). 
3. Click: ‘Start > All Programs > Bloomberg > API Environment Diagnostics’.
4. Click the 'Start' button and wait a minute for the diagnostic check to complete.
5. If there are any red icons, click the 'Repair' button and wait for a minute.
6. If there are still red icons, close the API diagnostics tool and repeat from step 3.
7. If this process is successful, you may now open Excel and the other Office apps.
8. If this process is unsuccessful, please contact the Library and tell us which PC you were using from the label on the monitor (eg A003).

See also:

• I have an error message in Bloomberg Excel: Review or Daily Capacity