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Excel MCP Server for Claude Desktop: Setup & Config

Excel MCP Server lets Claude Desktop create and modify workbooks without an installed copy of Microsoft Excel.

What you can do with Excel in Claude Desktop

Pick it for workbook editing, charts, and pivot tables without installing Microsoft Excel.

  • Create workbooks and manage worksheet names or copies.
  • Apply formulas and conditional spreadsheet formatting.

Before you start: Excel in Claude Desktop

  • uvx
  • An MCP-compatible client

Stdio accepts a path in each tool call. For remote operation use the documented streamable-http mode, configure EXCEL_FILES_PATH, and keep tool paths relative to that directory. SSE is deprecated.

Excel Claude Desktop configuration

  1. Choose Claude Desktop configuration scope

    For Excel MCP Server, open macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Merge under mcpServers via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

  2. Add Excel MCP Server to Claude Desktop

    Use the excel-mcp-server entry below in mcpServers. Keep Excel MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Desktop entries.

  3. Check Excel MCP Server in Claude Desktop

    Excel MCP Server: Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop; check developer diagnostics.

Config file · macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "excel-mcp-server",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting Excel in Claude Desktop

  • Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop for Excel MCP Server. If uvx excel-mcp-server (from uv, for Python tools) is missing, check the desktop process's PATH, which may differ from your terminal.
  • Excel MCP Server uses stdio here: Claude Desktop must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
  • Known limitation: SSE is deprecated.
  • Known limitation: The supplied README delegates individual tool details to a separate document.
  • Known limitation: Example connection ports differ from the stated default port.
  • General Claude Desktop troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-desktop guide.

Excel MCP Server — details. Claude Desktop guide

Frequently asked questions

Claude Desktop loads Excel MCP Server from claude_desktop_config.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows. Open it via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

Claude Desktop's excel-mcp-server example uses stdio.

Excel MCP Server's Claude Desktop configuration invokes uvx excel-mcp-server (from uv, for Python tools).

No. The server is described as operating on workbooks without Microsoft Excel.

The README recommends Streamable HTTP for remote connections and marks SSE deprecated.