Snowflake has no native Excel connector, the Power Query connector is Power BI-only, and Mac ODBC setup is painful. Every real option explained.
Snowflake has no native Excel connector. The Power Query Snowflake connector that appears in Microsoft's documentation is listed for Power BI and Fabric only; it does not show up in Excel's Get Data menu. The practical routes are ODBC with the Simba driver, a CSV download from Snowsight for one-off queries, the community Excelerator add-in, or a commercial connector. ODBC works, but Mac setup is genuinely painful and nothing ODBC-based reaches Excel on the web. Here is every option, including where each one breaks down.
Method 1: Snowflake ODBC driver and Get Data from ODBC
This is the path Snowflake's own documentation recommends for Excel. Download the Snowflake ODBC driver from the Snowflake downloads page, install it, then create a DSN in your operating system's ODBC administrator. In Excel, go to Data, then Get Data, then From Other Sources, then From ODBC. Select your DSN, authenticate, and pick the table or write a SQL query in the advanced options.
On Windows this is relatively straightforward. Microsoft ships a 64-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator that matches what Excel uses, and the Snowflake driver installs cleanly. Expect 10-15 minutes for first setup.
On Mac, the process is significantly harder. Apple removed the ODBC Administrator app from macOS years ago. You must install a third-party driver manager (iODBC is the most common choice for the Snowflake driver) via Homebrew or a downloaded package, install the Snowflake ODBC driver, then manually edit two plain-text config files: ~/.odbc.ini to define your DSN and ~/.odbcinst.ini to register the driver. After that, Excel for Mac must be pointed at the iODBC manager rather than the system's built-in layer. The iODBC and Excel for Mac ODBC support have documented compatibility gaps; plan on 30-60 minutes of troubleshooting. Snowflake's own documentation has a Mac-specific ODBC guide worth reading before you start.
The catch: ODBC connections require a locally installed driver and a DSN on the machine running Excel. Excel on the web cannot reach a local DSN, so this method is unavailable in the browser. Mac setup works but demands patience. If your team is on a mix of Windows and Mac, you will need to document the Mac setup separately.
A note on Power Query and the Snowflake connector
You may find references online suggesting Power Query has a Snowflake connector. It does, but the Microsoft documentation for that connector lists its supported products as Power BI (Semantic models), Power BI (Dataflows), Fabric (Dataflow Gen2), and Power Apps (Dataflows). Excel is not in that list. The connector does not appear in the Excel Get Data experience. If you are looking for a native Power Query connection from Excel to Snowflake, it does not currently exist outside of the ODBC path described above.
Method 2: Snowsight CSV download for one-off queries
For an ad-hoc pull, open Snowsight (the Snowflake web interface), run your query in a worksheet, and click the download icon in the results panel. Snowsight offers CSV as a download format. Open the file in Excel. No driver, no DSN, works from any operating system including web Excel users who just want to work locally.
The catch: this is a frozen snapshot. There is no refresh, the file is a new download each time, and large result sets are capped by Snowsight's result display limits (1 million rows in the UI). For anything bigger you would use an UNLOAD command to S3 or another export path.
Method 3: Excelerator (Snowflake Labs community add-in)
Excelerator is an open-source Excel add-in under the Snowflake Labs GitHub organisation. It authenticates to Snowflake and imports query results directly into Excel cells. The project exists and works, but it carries community-level support: no SLA, no dedicated support channel, and maintenance depends on community contributors.
The catch: check the GitHub repository's issue tracker and the date of the last commit before adopting it for anything business-critical. Community projects sometimes go quiet. Snowflake Labs status does not mean official Snowflake product support. It is also primarily tested on Windows desktop Excel.
Method 4: Commercial add-ins (Coefficient and CData)
Two commercial options exist for teams that want a maintained product with support.
Coefficient is an add-in that runs inside Excel and Sheets. It supports Snowflake and includes scheduled refresh. It works on Windows and Mac desktop Excel. Coefficient has a free tier and paid plans, priced per user. The company actively maintains the product and offers support.
CData Excel Add-In for Snowflake is a heavier enterprise-oriented connector that exposes Snowflake as a live data source in Excel. CData's pricing model is a subscription per connector. It supports Windows desktop Excel. CData covers many source types, so it makes more sense for organisations that need connectors to dozens of systems than for teams that only need Snowflake.
The catch: both are paid products. Coefficient does not support Excel on the web. CData is primarily Windows. If budget is a constraint or you need web Excel support, neither is the obvious first choice.
Method 5: Brooked for Excel (scheduled, Mac and web Excel)
Brooked for Excel connects to Snowflake via OAuth, so there is no driver to install and no DSN to configure. It runs inside Excel's ribbon and works in desktop Excel on Windows, desktop Excel on Mac, and Excel on the web, covering the cases that ODBC cannot reach. Import row limits apply to protect Snowflake warehouse credits; large full-table pulls are better served by a dedicated pipeline, but report-scale and dashboard-scale queries work well.
Honest framing: Excel support is in beta. Manual imports and the AI analyst work today; scheduled refresh is rolling out through the beta. The Google Sheets connector for Snowflake is fully live if your team uses Sheets.
Setting up the Snowflake connection in Brooked
Open Brooked in the Excel ribbon, select Snowflake as the source, and complete the OAuth flow. Pick the warehouse, database, and schema, then either choose a table or write a SQL query. Import the results into the active worksheet. No DSN, no driver, no pasting of account tokens into config files.
Brooked AI, SnowflakeMethod comparison
| Method | Cost | Works on | Refresh | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake ODBC + Get Data | Free (driver download required) | Windows Excel, Mac Excel (painful setup) | Manual refresh in Excel | IT-managed Windows environments |
| Snowsight CSV download | Free | Any Excel | Manual re-download | Quick one-off queries |
| Excelerator add-in | Free (community-level support) | Windows desktop Excel | Manual refresh in add-in | Developers comfortable with community tools |
| Coefficient | Paid (free tier available) | Windows & Mac desktop Excel | Scheduled | Teams wanting a polished commercial tool |
| CData Excel Add-In | Paid subscription | Windows desktop Excel | Scheduled | Enterprises with many source types to connect |
| Brooked for Excel | Free during beta | Desktop, Mac & web Excel | Scheduled (rolling out in beta) | Live Snowflake data on Mac or web Excel |
What data teams build with this
- Weekly executive dashboard: key metrics from Snowflake refreshed into a formatted workbook
- Ad-hoc data exploration: analysts pull a query result into Excel to build a pivot without IT involvement
- Finance reporting: aggregated revenue tables from the warehouse landing alongside budget models already in Excel
- Marketing attribution: campaign performance data from Snowflake joined to spend data in the spreadsheet
- Operational monitoring: row counts, error rates, or pipeline metrics pulled on a schedule for an ops team that lives in Excel
Troubleshooting common issues
Related Articles
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- How to Connect Snowflake to Google Sheets
Frequently asked questions
Does Snowflake have a native Excel connector?
No. Snowflake does not ship an official Excel add-in. The options are the ODBC driver plus Excel's Get Data dialog, the community Excelerator add-in from Snowflake Labs, commercial connectors like Coefficient or CData, or Brooked. Snowflake's own documentation points users to ODBC or third-party tools.
Can I use Power Query to connect Snowflake to Excel?
Not directly in Excel. Microsoft's Power Query Snowflake connector exists, but its product listing covers Power BI (Semantic models), Power BI (Dataflows), Fabric, and Power Apps only. It does not appear in the Excel Get Data menu. To connect Snowflake to Excel via Power Query, you route through the ODBC driver and use the Get Data from ODBC option, which calls the Simba driver under the hood.
How do I set up the Snowflake ODBC driver on Mac?
Mac ODBC is a known source of friction. You need to install iODBC or unixODBC as a driver manager, then install the Snowflake ODBC driver package, then manually edit odbc.ini and odbcinst.ini to register the DSN, then configure Excel to see the ODBC source. The Snowflake documentation covers each step, but the iODBC manager and Excel's ODBC support on Mac have known compatibility gaps. Expect to spend 30-60 minutes and test each layer separately.
How do I export Snowflake data to Excel without ODBC?
The quickest path is Snowsight: run your query in the Snowflake web UI, then click the download icon in the results panel and choose CSV. Open the CSV in Excel. This is a snapshot with no refresh, but it requires no driver setup and works on any device including web Excel.
What is Excelerator and is it safe to use?
Excelerator is an open-source Excel add-in maintained under the Snowflake Labs GitHub organisation, which means it is community-maintained rather than an official Snowflake product. Snowflake Labs projects come with community-level support: no SLA, no dedicated support channel. Check the repository's issue tracker and last commit date before building workflows around it in a production environment.
Does the Snowflake ODBC connection work in Excel on the web?
No. ODBC connections require a locally installed driver and a DSN configured on the machine running Excel. Excel on the web cannot reach a local DSN. If you need Snowflake data in the browser-based version of Excel, you need an add-in that authenticates over the internet, such as Brooked.
Connect Snowflake to Excel without an ODBC driver.
Brooked for Excel is in beta and free to try. Works on Mac and web Excel where ODBC cannot. Using Google Sheets instead? Read the Sheets version of this guide.
See Brooked for Excel →
