
To start, you’ll need an Excel spreadsheet will appropriate data to allow you to use Solver. The Solver add-in will be available for you to use as soon as it’s enabled. Once you click OK, the Solver add-in will be enabled, ready for you to begin using it. In the Add-ins window, press the checkbox next to the Solver Add-in option, then press OK to confirm.

Select Excel add-ins from the Manage drop-down menu at the bottom of the window, then press the Go button. In the Add-ins tab, you’ll see a list of available Excel add-ins. In the Excel Options window, press the Add-ins tab to view the settings for Excel add-ins. To do that, open Excel and press File > Options to open the Excel Options menu. How to Enable Solver in ExcelĪs we’ve mentioned, Solver is included with Excel as a third-party add-in, but you’ll need to enable it first to use it. This makes Solver a more advanced tool than Excel’s own Goal Seek feature. These three elements are used by the Solver add-in to work out the sales you’d need to cover the cost of that equipment. This problem has three parts to it-a target value, variables that it can change to reach that value, and constraints that Solver has to work in. It offers what-if analysis to help you determine the variables you need to answer a mathematical problem.įor instance, what is the minimum number of sales you’d need to make to cover the cost of an expensive piece of business equipment? Solver is a third-party add-in, but Microsoft includes it with Excel (although it’s disabled by default). Here’s how to install and use Solver in Microsoft Excel.

If you want to find the lowest and highest numbers possible to answer a mathematical problem, you’ll need to install and use the Solver add-in.
