Linked data types FAQ and tips (2024)

Note:Linked data types are only available to Worldwide Multi-Tenant clients (standard Microsoft 365 accounts).

In order to access data types that link to external sources of data such as Bing, you must meet the requirements below.To see what data types are currently available, seeWhat linked data types are available in Excel?

For Stocks and Geography data types

• Have an active Microsoft 365 subscription or a free Microsoft Account.

• Have the English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese editing language added toOffice Language Preferences.

• Use the up-to-date Excel app orExcel for the web.

  Note:If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can only use these data types if you're signed in to Excel for the webwith a Microsoft Account.

For Organization data types (from Power BI)

• Have an active Microsoft 365 subscription through an organization or employer.

• Have access to Power BI featured tables and they have to beenabled in Power BI for data types in Excel.

If you've opened a workbook with data types or are trying to change or refresh a data type, and you get an error message about being unable to access these data types, try the steps below:

• Make sure you're signed in to Excel with the account associated with your Microsoft 365 subscription.

• Go to File > Account > and make sure Excel has the latest updates.

• Check to make sure you meet the requirements to get data types.

• If you're still having trouble, try opening the workbook inExcel for the web.

Note:You may have originally opened a workbook with data types in a version of Excel that only supports viewing linked data. For example, the workbook containsthe Stocks data type so you can still view the card or access fields. However, you won't be able to refresh or change the data type. To use the data types, make sure you're signed in to Excel for the web with the account associated with your subscription.

There are many data types available on different subjects, but in Excel, they're organized into topic groups so it's easier to find the right button to convert with. To see all the data types available and what ribbon button they are under, see What linked data types are available in Excel?

Linked data types pull in reliable data from online sources such as Bing. If you want to view the type or source of a specific data type, you can select the data type icon in the cell to open the card and scroll to the bottom to find information about the data provider and the data type.

We’re continuously working to improve Excel data types. If you can't find a result, the data is incorrect or missing, or you can't achieve your task… we want to know! We’ll use your valuable feedback to make the experience and the feature better.

Yes. Most Excel features work with data types, and we are continuously working to improve integration. The Fill handle works when rows or columns have the same data type and you're populating cells with the samefield. If that field has no data or is missing, you'll get the #FIELD error.

You can also enter text to convert in the last cell of a list of data types and Excel will automatically attempt to match your text to convert it.

Certain data types are only available in specific languages at this time. In order to access and use them, you can add an editing language to your Office Language Preferences.

• Stocks and Geography data types: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese only.

We are working on adding more languages in the future.

Open a card:

Press Ctrl+Shift+F5 for Windows or Cmd+Shift+F5 for Mac.

Add a column:

Press Alt+Shift+F10 to open the Insert Data menu. You can also press the Ctrl or Cmd key. Then use your arrow keys to move to a field, and press Enter to choose a field.

Linked data types connect to an online data source. Once you convert text to a linked data type, an external data connection is established in the workbook. That way, if the data changes online, you can update it by refreshing it in Excel.

To refresh the data, right-click a cell with the linked data type and click Data Type > Refresh. That will refresh the cell you selected, plus any other cells that have that same data type.

If you want to refresh all linked data types and all data connections that may be in the workbook (including queries, other data connections, and PivotTables), click Data > Refresh All.

With data type cards, you can extract more than just your typical values. Some data type cards, such as those for the Geography data type,includes images that you can insert into your workbook. These images are contained inside the cell, like any text or number.

1. Convert text to a data type by selecting the cell and going to Data tab > Data Types group > Automatic.

2. Once converted, an icon will appear in the left of the cell value. Select it to view the card.

3. In the card, hover over the image and you'll see the Insert Data icon. Select this to insert the image into your workbook.

4. The image will scale to fit within the cell. To resize it, simply adjust the row or column to increase the size of the cell.

Tip:To view the attribution of the inserted image, right-click the image and select Show Card.

If you don't want a cell to be a linked data type anymore, just right-click the cell, and click Data Type > Convert to Text. The data type is removed, there's no longer an online connection, and the value in the cell is converted to text.

Important:If you convert the data type to text, any column or formulas that had extracted values from that data type will display the #FIELD! error.