Excel Add-in Regression - Sign-in opens external browser window instead of embedding in task pane, r

[data_lover]

• 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.

[pradeep_singh]

Hi @data_lover  Try following steps . 

• Try signing in with the full Databricks workspace URL instead of using the account picker. This is the recommended sign-in method and may avoid the failing handoff through login.databricks.com.

• Recreate the custom XML manifest from the latest Databricks download. Confirm that it contains the exact workspace URL under <AppDomains>, along with https://www.databricks.com and https://login.databricks.com.

• Confirm that the workspace URL is the normal workspace address, not a custom account URL or account-console URL.

• Test the Microsoft Marketplace deployment with one user. If Marketplace works but the side-loaded manifest does not, the problem is probably related to the custom manifest or Office deployment path. If both fail, the evidence for a Databricks add-in regression is stronger.

• In Excel Desktop, use the add-in’s Reload option. If an add-in error appears, refresh the authentication window using the documented Inspect/Refresh workaround.

if nothing works try escalating this to their support team . 

Databricks Support should investigate whether the August release introduced a defect in the OAuth callback or the handoff from the external browser back to the Excel task pane. Support should also confirm whether a rollback, feature flag, or hotfix is available for the Genie One and filter updates.

When opening the case, include the Excel version, operating system, Databricks workspace URL and region, add-in manifest, exact reproduction time with timezone, and a short screen recording or browser/Excel console log if available.

[data_lover]

Thank you so much for your considered response.  Fix was to replace the Marketplace add-in with the Developer add-in.  Seems the Marketplace add-in no longer allows connection to be made. Developer version of add-in has the Databricks URL whitelisted, so makes the connection appropriately.

[data_lover · Accepted solution]

Worked with Databricks support engineers to resolve.  Root cause determined to be that while the Marketplace add-in previously allowed the connection to be made to the workspace URL, it no longer does.  Resolution was to remove the Marketplace add-in and install the Developer add-in instead, which has the Databricks URL whitelisted. This has resolved the issue completely.