Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Error when refreshing data from external source in excel. Data source name not found and no default driver specified

Excel data refresh error with ODBC driver mismatch.

Quick Answer: Check the architecture compatibility of the ODBC driver and the application, and ensure that the DSN is correctly set up.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The error 'Data source name not found and no default driver specified' occurs when attempting to refresh data from an external source in Excel. This issue affects users who have received an Excel workbook with an external data connection that cannot be established due to missing or incorrect configuration details.

This error can be frustrating, especially if the user is unable to establish a connection using the default ODBC driver. However, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you should be able to resolve the issue and successfully refresh your data.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the DSN (Data Source Name) field in the connection string contains an incorrect or missing architecture information. The ODBC driver requires specific architecture information to connect to the external data source.
  • Another possible cause is that the DSN file itself is corrupted or does not exist, which would prevent the ODBC driver from finding it.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Correcting Architecture Information

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open the connection string and check for any incorrect or missing architecture information. Ensure that the 'ARCHITECTURE' field matches the architecture of your ODBC driver (32-bit or 64-bit).
  2. Step 2: Step 2: If the architecture information is correct, try updating the DSN file by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC & OLE DB) and selecting the 'Update' option for the affected connection.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: If updating the DSN file does not resolve the issue, delete the existing DSN file and recreate it using the correct architecture information.

Recreating the ODBC Connection

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC & OLE DB) and select the 'Add' option to create a new connection.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: In the 'Create New Data Source' dialog box, enter the correct DSN name, UID, TRUSTED_CONNECTION, APP, WSID, and DATABASE fields. Ensure that the architecture information is accurate.

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Data source name not found and no default driver specified' error in Excel. If you continue to experience issues, it may be necessary to consult with the original data provider or seek further assistance from Microsoft support.

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