Periodic Table Excel Template not Working - Many formulas display "Unknown"

Hello all,

I'm trying to get this neat, free Excel template that Microsoft made to work. It is the Periodic Table along with a bunch of other neat things. I'm still new here to Excel Forum and can't post links yet... I've attached the file as a .xlsx file to this thread instead. You can find it online if you type "periodic table template" in Bing or Google.

Unfortunately, the file is made using Office 365 and I'm using Office 2019. Luckily, a friend of mine has Office 365 and was able to send the file to me (.xltx). However, when I open the file with my Excel, all the formulas don't seem to work. Even when I save the file to my desktop as a .xlsx file, it doesn't work.

It looks like some of the cells in the file contain formulas that are referencing... something online or another file? I tried signing into my Microsoft account to see if this would change anything but it didn't. I also tried closing Excel, reopening Excel (by actually clicking on the app) and tried searching for the template but alas, it doesn't pop up.

Is there any way to get this file to work that I'm not seeing in Office 2019?

Thank you! : )

So, I discovered that Excel on the Web allows you to open the file correctly since it does use XLOOKUP.
I had to physically upload the file to OneDrive (as a xlsx file - the original file format forced my local Excel 2019 to open the file), then open the file using Excel on the Web. Now it works.

Kinda stinks that I gotta use the online version of Excel to use it but oh well...

Originally Posted by Keebellah

No, it's not, it's a question of which version of Excel you're using. I cannot run it locally either since I'm still on 2016 adn have 2021 pending to install.
There a many more functions that don't work with 2019 and earlier as there are functions that do not work with pre-2007 version, I think the call that 'progress' but I'm no fan of needing the latest versions to do something.
I did check the file and with some work on the formulas used (haven't discovered all yet) it could be probably 'converted' to be used with 2019 or earlier.

I understand what you are saying Keebellah. What I was saying in my last reply was that, instead of going through the file locally in Excel 2019 (or whatever older Excel) and retyping the formulas to make it work, you can upload the file to OneDrive as a .xlsx file, open it while still in OneDrive and it will open the file using Excel on the Web - not locally. When opened using this Excel, it works. But with local Excel's (2019, 2016, etc), you are correct in that you must change the formulas to 'convert' the file.

No need to go through the file and change all the formulas for me though (unless you really want to for yourself). I just wanted to know what the issue was and if there was a quick workaround. I appreciate your ambitiousness and passion though!

Sounds good! ^_^ thanks again, and have a good rest of the day!
Have fun trying out Office 2021!