In Excel: enable it under File ▸ Options ▸ Add-ins ▸ Manage: Excel Add-ins ▸ Go ▸ tick Solver Add-in — a Solver button then appears at the right end of the Data tab.
On this page7
File ▸ Options ▸ Add-ins, set Manage to Excel Add-ins, click Go, tick Solver Add-in, OK. On Mac: Tools ▸ Excel Add-ins.
Build the model so one cell computes the objective from the cells Solver is allowed to change.
Data ▸ Analyze ▸ Solver. Set Objective to that cell and pick Max, Min or Value Of.
Set "By Changing Variable Cells" to the input cells — they must be values, not formulas.
Add constraints one at a time with the Add button; use int or bin in the operator list for whole-number or yes/no decisions.
Pick the solving method: Simplex LP for a linear model, GRG Nonlinear for smooth curves, Evolutionary when the model contains IF or lookups.
Click Solve, then choose Keep Solver Solution and optionally produce the Answer and Sensitivity reports.
Need it as an auditable file?
Ships inside the linked template — formula-driven, unlocked, audit-ready.
What this does
Solver is an optimiser: you give it a target cell, a set of cells it may change, and constraints, and it finds the values that maximise, minimise or hit a target. It ships with Excel but is off by default. It goes further than Goal Seek, which changes one input to hit one target with no constraints. Three solving methods are offered: Simplex LP for linear problems (fastest and guaranteed optimal), GRG Nonlinear for smooth curved ones, and Evolutionary for problems with IF, VLOOKUP or other non-smooth logic. Choosing Simplex LP on a nonlinear model produces an error; choosing GRG on a nonlinear model finds a local optimum that depends on the starting values. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. Treat “insert solver in excel” as a small repeatable workflow rather than a one-off click you hope to remember next time. Use a small test block before the live file, so any surprise in the affected cells shows up while it is still harmless. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That turns a calculation you can defend to a CFO or an auditor into a method you can reuse, explain, and defend when the workbook leaves your screen.
A worked example
A production mix: profit per unit in B2:C2, hours per unit in B3:C3, total hours available 400 in E3. Units to make sit in B5:C5 (currently 0) and total profit in E5 as =SUMPRODUCT(B2:C2,B5:C5). Data ▸ Solver ▸ Set Objective: $E$5 ▸ To: Max ▸ By Changing Variable Cells: $B$5:$C$5 ▸ Add constraints: $E$3<=400 and $B$5:$C$5>=0, tick "Make Unconstrained Variables Non-Negative" ▸ Select a Solving Method: Simplex LP ▸ Solve. Solver writes the optimal units into B5:C5. Product mix, staff rostering, blending, transport routing and portfolio allocation are all the same shape of problem, and Solver answers them in one dialog instead of a week of trial and error. A practical tip: try it on a copy of the sheet or a handful of sample rows first and check the result before you apply it to the real data. That one habit catches almost every surprise while it is still cheap to reverse.
In Google Sheets
This is a command rather than a formula, so there is no syntax to carry over. Google Sheets arranges its commands in menus across the top instead of a ribbon, names some of them differently and does not have every Excel command — look for the equivalent in the Sheets menus or its help before assuming the steps match. The aim was to get you unstuck fast and leave you a little more capable than a copy-paste would. The answer is at the top and the detail above shows why it holds — so the next time a colleague asks, you can answer without reaching for search. The short version of “insert solver in excel”: the answer is at the top of this page, and the sections above explain why each step matters, so a variation of the problem does not stump you. Try it once on a copy of a real file and the steps stick far better than re-reading them.
Common mistakes
- Putting a formula in a changing cell — Solver overwrites it with a number and the model breaks.
- Choosing Simplex LP for a model containing
IF,MAXor a lookup, which reports that the linearity conditions are not satisfied. - Leaving out a non-negativity constraint and getting an "optimal" answer that makes minus 300 units.
- Accepting a GRG Nonlinear result as the global optimum; it finds a local one, so re-run from different starting values.
- Expecting Solver in Excel for the web or on mobile, where the add-in does not exist.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add Solver to Excel?
File ▸ Options ▸ Add-ins ▸ set Manage to Excel Add-ins ▸ Go ▸ tick Solver Add-in ▸ OK. On Mac use Tools ▸ Excel Add-ins. The button appears on the Data tab.
What is the difference between Solver and Goal Seek?
Goal Seek changes one input to make one cell hit one value, with no constraints. Solver changes many inputs, respects constraints, and can maximise or minimise rather than only hitting a target.
Which solving method should I pick?
Simplex LP when the objective and constraints are all linear — it is fastest and gives the true optimum. GRG Nonlinear for smooth curved models. Evolutionary when the model uses IF, MAX, MIN or lookups.
Why does Solver say the linearity conditions are not satisfied?
The model contains something non-linear — often an IF, a lookup or a multiplication of two changing cells — while Simplex LP is selected. Switch to GRG Nonlinear or Evolutionary.