Microsoft Update KB5002653 Breaks Opening Excel Add-Ins

A recent Microsoft update for Excel 2016, KB5002653, has introduced a bug that affects users of Excel add-ins, including ASAP Utilities. After installing the update, users may encounter an error where Excel fails to load add-ins. Specifically, the error message states that it "couldn't find" the XLAM file, with the drive letter missing from the path:

Error: Sorry, we couldn't find :\Program Files\ASAP Utilities\ASAP Utilities.xlam. Is it possible it was moved, renamed, or deleted?

What's Happening?

This issue, confirmed as a bug in the KB5002653 update released on November 12, 2024, prevents Excel from correctly recognizing XLAM add-ins that were previously enabled. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and updated their release notes to include additional details, but no permanent fix is available yet.

Temporary Workarounds

To address the issue until Microsoft releases a solution, you can:

• Uninstall KB5002653: This will restore Excel's functionality with add-ins.
• Manually Load the Add-In: Open the add-in by double-clicking its file or selecting File > Open within Excel.

Official Microsoft Resources

For more information, see the following:

• Microsoft Answers Forum
• Microsoft Tech Community Discussion
• Reddit SysAdmin Thread

You can also review the official update notes from Microsoft:

• Description of the Security Update for Excel 2016: November 12, 2024 (KB5002653)

Stay Updated

We are closely monitoring this situation and will update this article as new information becomes available. If you're experiencing issues, we recommend applying the temporary solutions above and checking back for updates.