Getting Started with Office Add-ins: A Developer's Guide

1 min read

Building Microsoft Office Add-ins opens up a huge audience: millions of users already work in Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint every day. This guide walks you through the fundamentals.

Project setup and manifest

We cover project setup with the Office Add-in project generator, understanding the manifest (XML) and how it defines your add-in's entry points and permissions. You'll see how to use the Office.js APIs for each host (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), handle authentication with Microsoft identity, and deploy via centralized deployment or the AppSource marketplace.

Best practice

Keep the task pane lightweight, use SSO where possible, and test across Office on the web and desktop.

From zero to published

By the end you'll have a clear path from zero to a published add-in. Key steps include:

  1. Scaffold your project with the Yeoman generator or Create React App template.
  2. Configure the manifest with your add-in ID, endpoints, and permissions.
  3. Implement ribbon commands and task pane UI with Office.js.
  4. Test in Office on the web and desktop, then submit to AppSource or use centralized deployment.