Forum Discussion

ali777's avatar
ali777
Copper Contributor
Apr 09, 2026

MISSING FUNCTIONS THAT I PREVIOUSLY HAD ACCESS TO

I just switched macbooks and opened my excel to discover I had a few missing functions: MAXIFS, SEQUENCE. This is not a problem regarding the software as mine is MICROSOFT365 and I used the same acco...
Formulas and Functions
office 365
NikolinoDE's avatar
NikolinoDE
Platinum Contributor
Apr 19, 2026

That #NAME? error is very revealing! It confirms that Excel on your new Mac literally doesn't recognize the SEQUENCE function yet, even though you typed it perfectly.

This is a classic licensing/activation glitch that happens when moving between Macs. Your subscription is fine I think, but the "Dynamic Array" feature module hasn't been unlocked on this machine yet.

Let's try the "Duplicate App" fix first (it works for this exact error):

  1. Quit Excel completely (Cmd+Q).
  2. Go to Finder > Applications.
  3. Right-click Microsoft Excel.app and select Duplicate.
  4. Open the new "Microsoft Excel copy.app".

This usually forces the system to re-verify your license and instantly fixes the #NAME? error.

If that doesn't work:
Go to Excel > Check for Updates and install everything, then restart your Mac.

Need to work right now?
While we fix this, you can generate a sequence of 1-31 in column I using this old-school trick:

  • Type 1 in cell I2.
  • In cell I3, type =I2+1 and drag it down to row 32.

 

My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

Hope this will help you.