How to Install and Use Microsoft Word Add-ins | Step-by-Step Guide

Office Add-ins allow developers to extend Microsoft Word with custom features, bringing automation, integration, and enhanced productivity directly inside the familiar Word environment. In this guide, we’ll create our first Word Add-in using the Yeoman Generator for Office Add-ins.

✅ Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have the following installed:

• Latest LTS version of Node.js
• Yeoman and Yeoman Generator for Office Add-ins
  Install globally using:

npm install -g yo generator-office

🚀 Step 1: Create a New Add-in Project

Run the following command to generate a new project:

yo office

You’ll be prompted with some setup questions:

1. Select project type – Choose the suitable project template.
2. Choose script type – Select TypeScript (recommended) or JavaScript.
3. Enter the project name – Example: wordaddin
4. Select Office application – Choose Word.

📂 Step 2: Explore the Project Structure

Once created, the project will have the following structure:

• manifest.xml → Defines settings and capabilities of your add-in.
• src/taskpane/ → Contains React components, CSS, and HTML files for the add-in UI.
  • taskpane.html → UI markup
  • taskpane.css → Styles
  • index.tsx → Main TypeScript entry point for rendering the add-in

This is where you’ll write code to control how the add-in behaves inside Word.

▶️ Step 3: Run and Test Your Add-in

Navigate to your project directory and start the development server:

cd wordaddin

For testing, you have a few options depending on your environment:

• Mac → npm run dev-server
• Desktop Word (Windows) → npm start
• Browser (Word Online) → npm start:web

📝 Step 4: Use Your Add-in in Word

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Go to Insert → My Add-ins.
3. Select your custom add-in.
4. The add-in will load in the taskpane on the right side of Word.

By default, clicking the Run button will insert a “Hello World” paragraph into your Word document.

🎉 Congratulations!

You’ve successfully created your first Word Add-in using JavaScript/TypeScript. From here, you can:

• Customize UI using React or plain HTML/CSS.
• Add commands in the manifest.xml.
• Use the Office.js API to manipulate Word documents (insert text, format, automate tasks).

This is just the beginning — you can now build powerful integrations like report generators, grammar checkers, or connectors to external services, all inside Word.