How to add the Developer tab to Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel has hidden many features in its Developer tab, which is available on both Windows and Mac. This tab is not visible by default, but you can turn on an option to make it visible. We will show you how.

What does the Developer tab do in Excel?

The Developer tab of Excel contains many options that you can use with your spreadsheets. These options include:

• Create macro
• Run existing macros
• Use XML commands
• Use ActiveX controls
• Create apps that you can use with Excel
• Add form controls
• Use ShapeSheet in Microsoft Visio
• Create new shapes and stencils in Microsoft Visio

The Developer tab is available in all Office programs, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Check out the tab in these apps to access more features.

Enable the Excel Developer tab

To show the Developer tab in Excel, first open Microsoft Excel on your Windows or Mac computer.

If you are in the Excel screen where your templates are shown, then from the left sidebar select “Options”. If you are on the Excel editing screen, select File> More> Options instead.

You will see an “Excel Options” window. In the left sidebar of this window, click “Customize Ribbon”.

In the “Customize the Ribbon” pane on the right, click the “Customize the Ribbon” drop-down menu and select “Main Tabs”.

In the same column “Customize the ribbon”, from the “Main tabs” section, enable the “Developer” option. Then click “OK” at the bottom.

Returning to the Excel window, at the top, you will now see a new tab called “Developer”. Click on the tab to see all the options it offers.

Have a good time!