Excel Add-in Regression - Sign-in opens external browser window instead of embedding in task pane, r
Options
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
Thursday
- Issue: The Databricks Excel Add-in launches authentication in an external browser window rather than within the Excel task pane. The Unity Catalog does display in the external browser window, but after sign-in, Excel remains stuck spinning/loading indefinitely.
- Affected Platforms: Reproduced on both Windows and macOS using Microsoft 365 Excel.
- Deployment Method: The add-in is side-loaded through a custom XML manifest rather than deployed tenant-wide from the Microsoft Marketplace.
- Troubleshooting Completed:
- Verified and modified manifest trust and authentication settings.
- Cleared Excel Web Extensions Framework (WEF) caches and reloaded the manifest.
- Tested browser settings, pop-up permissions, cookies, and documented authentication workarounds.
- Reproduced on multiple independent Windows and Mac installations.
- Business Impact: Users cannot refresh a recurring internal report through the add-in and must perform manual exports from the Databricks UI as a temporary workaround.
- Suspected Cause: The issue may be tied to an August 2026 update to the Databricks Excel Add-in that introduced new features such as cascading filters and Genie One integration. The timing aligns with the appearance of the authentication problem. https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/release-notes/product/2026/august
- Request to Support: Investigate the regression and provide any known workarounds or fixes.
