Why VT Transaction Won't Load in Excel — and How to Fix It

You've installed VT Transaction, VT Final Accounts, or VT Cashbook. You open Excel and the VT menu is nowhere to be found. Or the installation appeared to go fine, but nothing shows up. Or you get a vague error about a "32-bit add-in" that you've never heard of before.

This is one of the most common support questions VT Software users run into, and the good news is there's a clear cause and a straightforward fix. It has nothing to do with your VT licence, nothing wrong with how you installed it, and nothing wrong with your computer.

The problem: 32-bit software in a 64-bit world

VT Transaction, VT Final Accounts, and the rest of the VT Software range are built as 32-bit Excel add-ins. They use a Windows technology called COM (Component Object Model) to plug functionality directly into Excel — that's what gives you the VT menu, the input sheets, and the ability to work with VT files directly in your spreadsheet.

The catch is that 32-bit COM add-ins cannot run inside a 64-bit application. It's not a bug that Microsoft will fix or a compatibility layer that can be switched on — it's a fundamental difference in how the two architectures work. A 64-bit version of Excel simply cannot load a 32-bit COM add-in, full stop.

For years this wasn't a problem because Microsoft Office defaulted to the 32-bit installer, even on 64-bit Windows. But starting with Office 2019, and more consistently with Microsoft 365, the default changed to 64-bit. If you've bought a new computer in the last few years, or reinstalled Office recently, there's a very good chance you now have 64-bit Excel without realising it.

The fix: switch to 32-bit Office

The only solution is to reinstall Microsoft Office using the 32-bit version. Your Microsoft 365 subscription (or standalone Office licence) covers both versions — you don't need to pay anything extra, you just need to download the right installer.

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your Office subscription.
2. Click Office apps or My account, then find your Office installation.
3. Click View apps & devices, then look for an option labelled Other options or Advanced.
4. Select 32-bit from the version dropdown before downloading.
5. Uninstall your current Office installation first, then run the 32-bit installer.

VT Software also publishes their own step-by-step reinstallation guide with screenshots on their website — it's worth following if you want to make sure VT Transaction is properly registered after the switch.

Other software affected by the same issue

VT Transaction isn't the only accounting software that runs into this problem. If you use any of the following and they've stopped working after an Office upgrade or a new computer setup, the 32-bit/64-bit mismatch is almost certainly the reason:

• Sage 50 Payroll — the Employee Import Record (EIR) add-in is 32-bit only
• Sage 300 Financial Reporter — the Excel-based reporting module requires 32-bit Excel
• Sage 100 Budget and Import Extract — same architecture requirement
• CCH ProSystem fx Engagement — versions before 7.5 require 32-bit Excel
• Event 1 Office Connector for Sage 300 CRE — 32-bit only
• QuickBooks Desktop — older add-in integrations (pre-2020) have the same limitation

As a general rule: if your accounting software has an Excel add-in that was written more than five years ago and it's suddenly stopped working, suspect the 32-bit/64-bit issue first.

Once VT Transaction is working — preparing your data for import

After you've sorted the 32-bit issue, you may want to bring existing data into VT Transaction from spreadsheets — bank transactions, journal entries, or historical records you've been keeping in Excel.

VT Transaction's Universal Input Sheet lets you import transactions from a CSV file, but the file needs to be clean. Raw Excel files often carry macros, VBA code, embedded objects, external formula references, or protection flags that cause the import to fail or produce unexpected results.

That's exactly what SheetPrep is for. Drop your Excel or CSV file in, choose your output format, and SheetPrep strips out everything that could cause problems — macros, VBA, embedded objects, protection flags — and normalises dates to the DD/MM/YYYY format VT Transaction expects. The whole process takes a few seconds, and nothing leaves your browser.