Requirements for running Office Add-ins

This article describes the software and device requirements for running Office Add-ins.

For a high-level view of where Office Add-ins are currently supported, see Office client application and platform availability for Office Add-ins.

Server requirements

To be able to install and run any Office Add-in, you first need to deploy the manifest and webpage files for the UI and code of your add-in to the appropriate server locations.

For all types of add-ins (content, Outlook, and task pane add-ins and add-in commands), you need to deploy your add-in's webpage files to a web server, or web hosting service, such as Microsoft Azure.

While not strictly required in all add-in scenarios, using an HTTPS endpoint for your add-in is strongly recommended. Add-ins that are not SSL-secured (HTTPS) generate unsecure content warnings and errors during use. If you plan to run your add-in in Office on the web or publish your add-in to Microsoft Marketplace, it must be SSL-secured. If your add-in accesses external data and services, it should be SSL-secured to protect data in transit. Self-signed certificates can be used for development and testing, so long as the certificate is trusted on the local machine.

For content and task pane add-ins, in the supported Office client applications - Excel, PowerPoint, Project, or Word - you also need either an app catalog on SharePoint to upload the add-in's XML-formatted add-in only manifest file, or you need to deploy the add-in using the integrated apps portal.

To test and run an Outlook add-in, the user's Outlook email account must reside on Exchange 2016 or later, which is available through Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, or through an on-premises installation. The user or administrator installs manifest files for Outlook add-ins on that server. For Exchange on-premises installations, the following requirements apply.

• The server must be Exchange 2016 or later.
• Exchange Web Services (EWS) must be enabled and must be exposed to the Internet. Many add-ins require EWS to function properly.
• The server must have a valid authentication certificate in order for the server to issue valid identity tokens. New installations of Exchange Server include a default authentication certificate. For more information, see Digital certificates and encryption in Exchange 2016 and Set-AuthConfig.
• To access add-ins from Microsoft Marketplace, the client access servers must be able to communicate with Microsoft Marketplace.

Client requirements: Windows desktop and tablet

The following software is required for developing an Office Add-in for the supported Office desktop clients or web clients that run on Windows-based desktop, laptop, or tablet devices.

• For Windows x86 and x64 desktops, and tablets such as Surface Pro:

  • The 32- or 64-bit version of Office 2016 or a later version, running on Windows 7 or a later version.
  • Excel 2016, Outlook 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Project Professional 2016, Project 2016, Word 2016, or a later version of the Office client, if you're testing or running an Office Add-in specifically for one of these Office desktop clients. Office desktop clients can be installed on premises or via Click-to-Run on the client computer.

  If you have a valid Microsoft 365 subscription and you don't have access to the Office client, you can download and install the latest version of Office.

• Microsoft Edge must be installed, but doesn't have to be the default browser. To support Office Add-ins, the Office client that acts as host uses webview components that are part of Microsoft Edge.

• One of the following as the default browser: Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari (Mac OS).

• An HTML and JavaScript editor such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio and the Microsoft Developer Tools, or non-Microsoft web development tool.

Client requirements: OS X desktop

Outlook on Mac, which is distributed as part of Microsoft 365, supports Outlook add-ins. Running Outlook add-ins in Outlook on Mac has the same requirements as Outlook on Mac itself: the operating system must be at least OS X v10.10 "Yosemite". Because Outlook on Mac uses WebKit as a layout engine to render the add-in pages, there is no additional browser dependency.

The following are the minimum client versions of Office on Mac that support Office Add-ins.

• Word version 15.18 (160109)
• Excel version 15.19 (160206)
• PowerPoint version 15.24 (160614)

Client requirements: Browser support for Office web clients and SharePoint

Any browser that supports ECMAScript 5.1, HTML5, and CSS3, such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari (Mac OS).

Client requirements: Non-Windows smartphone and tablet

Specifically for Outlook running on smartphones and non-Windows tablet devices, the following software is required for testing and running Outlook add-ins.

See also

• Office Add-ins platform overview
• Office client application and platform availability for Office Add-ins
• Browsers and webview controls used by Office Add-ins