Hub or Account Greyed Out in the Microsoft Excel Add-in

Hub or Account Greyed Out in the Microsoft Excel Add-in

Info
If you connected a data source successfully in your hub but can't select a hub, account, or any field below it inside the Power My Analytics add-in sidebar in Microsoft Excel, this article walks you through the fix. It covers both Excel Online and Excel Desktop.

Symptom

After you select a connector in the add-in sidebar, the hub name, account, and every field below it are greyed out and unselectable, even though the connector itself connected successfully and is syncing in your hub.

Most Common Cause: The Wrong Key Was Entered (Excel Desktop)

Alert
Excel Desktop authenticates with the Excel Desktop Access Key, not the Power My Analytics API key. Pasting the API key into the add-in's Key field is the most common reason the hub picker and everything below it stays greyed out.

These are two separate credentials:

  • Excel Desktop Access Key: retrieved from Reports > Microsoft Excel > Desktop Access Key in your hub. This is the one the add-in's Key field wants.
  • Power My Analytics API key: retrieved from MCP & API > REST API in your hub (this moved out of Tools on 2026-08-12). It authenticates the Power My Analytics API and hasn't authenticated the Excel Desktop add-in since that change.

Fix

  1. Log in to the PMA hub.
  2. Navigate to Reports > Microsoft Excel.
  3. Click Desktop Access Key in the upper-right corner.
  4. Copy the key from the slideout using the Copy icon.
  5. In Excel Desktop, open the sidebar (Home > Commands Group > Data Connector).
  6. Clear whatever is currently in the Key field, paste in the Excel Desktop Access Key, and click the right-arrow button to authenticate.

Your hub and account should now be selectable.

Using Excel Online? Check for a Second Google Account

Excel Online doesn't use an access key at all: you sign in with the Google account tied to your PMA hub directly in the sidebar. If more than one Google account is signed in to the same browser, the hub picker can come up greyed for a different reason: the add-in can't tell which account's hub you mean.

Fix

  • Sign out of any other Google accounts in that browser, leaving only the one associated with your PMA hub, then reload the sidebar; or
  • Open Excel Online in a private or incognito window and sign in with only the correct Google account.

Still Greyed Out? Confirm Hub Membership

If you've entered the correct credential (the Excel Desktop Access Key on Desktop, or the correct Google account on Online) and the picker is still greyed, confirm that the email you're signing in with is actually a member of the hub you're trying to select. A hub owner can check or add members from Members in the hub. If you're not listed there, ask your hub owner to invite you, then try again.

Notes
Plan eligibility: The Spreadsheets add-on (covering both Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel) is included by default on the Grow and Pro plans, and may be available on the Custom plan depending on your agreement. It isn't available on the Business or Free plans. If your hub's plan doesn't include Spreadsheets, the add-in has no hub to connect to regardless of which credential you enter.

When to Contact Support

Submit a ticket if you've confirmed the right credential, checked for a second Google account (Excel Online), confirmed hub membership, and confirmed your plan includes Spreadsheets, and the hub or account is still greyed out. Include which version of Excel you're using (Online or Desktop) and a screenshot of the greyed-out sidebar.

    • Related Articles

    • Installing the Power My Analytics Add-in for Microsoft Excel

      If you'd like to merge and manipulate data from popular sales and advertising platforms with Microsoft Excel to create insightful and automated reporting, follow the instructions below to install and launch the Power My Analytics Excel Data ...

    • Microsoft Excel Data Integration Guide

      This article will show you how to install and use PMA's spreadsheets connector for Microsoft Excel, including setup for both Excel Online and Excel Desktop. The Excel Data Connector requires a PMA plan that includes spreadsheets. This is included by ...

    • Microsoft Advertising Data Connector User Guide

      Microsoft Advertising (formerly known as Bing Ads) is a powerful platform for search advertising, keyword targeting, and more. This guide will walk you through how to connect Microsoft Advertising to Power My Analytics, create reports, and leverage ...

    • Manage Account Limits in Your Hub

      Hub Owners on standard plans can set a self-imposed limit on the maximum number of connected accounts per data source type. This Account Limits feature helps you control costs and prevent team members from accidentally connecting more accounts than ...

    • What is an "Account?"

      For billing purposes, an account is an individual data set within a connected data source (such as a Page, Channel, Property, or Ad Account) for which you create reports in PMA. You are not alone in asking. We get this question a lot! It is confusing ...