The world runs on productivity directly, the more the productivity, the better the result of tasks and services. Anything that works in favour of productivity is more impressive and desired. And this is the exact reason why Microsoft Office has become so very popular as an installable web of apps and Google Drive has taken the SaaS platform for productivity to the next level with its Docs and Sheets.
However, very often, having a default application isn’t enough and some supportive add-ins are required. These add-ins increase the capabilities of the app and boost productivity, big time.
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Add-ins for Microsoft Word
Just the way Google Chrome browser has installable extensions, there are many add-ins for Microsoft Word too. These little assistances help to do a lot of things that the user or the app itself cannot do independently.
The add-ins help in boosting the quality of product by suggesting and assisting the users. For example, though Microsoft Word has spelling checker or sentence fragment detector by default, there are add-ins that help to elaborate the faults and make a detailed correction. Hence, these add-ins turn out to be utmost important when it comes to boosting productivity.
How to install add-ins for Microsoft Word
Microsoft has its own stores store from within the app that has a plethora of add-ins. You can simply get to the store, browse through the options and add it to Word. What you need to do is
- Go to Ribbon and then to Add-in. Click on “Get Add-in”
- Use the Store panel and browse through the add-ins
- “Allow” Microsoft to install the add-in you choose
All the add-in that you have installed will always be part of your Microsoft Word following the installation until you delete them.
Best add-ins for Microsoft Word
There are some add-ins for Microsoft Word that have been extremely popular among the users. Some of the add-ins are paid while others are free to install and use. These are picked from various types and help you create the perfect content.
Feature list
| Name | Paid/Free | Work/school account acquiring | Supports both Windows and Mac |
Available for other Office apps |
| Writing Assistant | Requires additional purchase | Yes | Yes | No |
| Handy Calculator | Free | Yes | Yes | Excel, PowerPoint |
| Wikipedia | Free | Yes | Yes | Excel |
| Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker | Free (Limited) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Read My Document | Free | Yes | Yes | Excel, PowerPoint, Project |
| PDFFiller | Free | Yes | No | No |
1.Writing Assistant
The English language isn’t exhaustive and there is always a scope for improvement. And since the language is so huge, mistakes are bound to happen inevitably. This is where writing assistant comes into play as being one of the best English writeup improvement tools. It can deal with emails, cover letters and essays and provide instant analysis on syntax and grammatical errors. The quality assistance is provided taking English metrics into account.
Writing Assistant is a free add-in for Microsoft Word by default but might require additional purchases. It supports Word for Mac, besides Word 2016 and Word Online.
2. Handy Calculator
Having a native calculator for Microsoft Word is a great thing to have and so Microsoft Office brings the Handy Calculator. It is a very convenient calculator and is displayed in the right task panel. The add-in supports all the most commonly used operations in Arithmetic. It even has a memory function.
Handy Calculator comes free of charge and can be used in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It is supportive to the three apps for the 2013 and 2016 versions and on Online. However, for MacOS, it can be used in the 2016 version only, while the previous ones are not supported.
3. Wikipedia
Wikipedia is one of the most important sources of information for everyone. So to make the writing or reading on Microsoft easier, the Wikipedia add-in becomes extremely handy. The add-in detects and searches for things, within a selection, that are available of Wikipedia. The result is displayed in the task pane at the right side. The meaning or definition for any specific word can be inserted in the document with just one click.
The Wikipedia add-in is available for Microsoft Word and Excel and comes free of cost. It has a wider support range and can be used on Windows, Mac, iPad and Online.
4. Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker
Creating wonderful content or write up is exciting, for sure. However, plagiarism is a negative aspect that might take away the credibility in the first place. Hence, Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker helps the writers and authors to remove any plagiarism that might be found in the content. It is very simple to use and supports various languages. It shows a very focused search for a comprehensive result.
It is available for Microsoft Word only and comes free of cost but for just 10 pages each month. For more volume, paid plans are available. It works on Word 2016, Word Online and Word for Mac.
5. Read My Document
After writing a really long article, proofreading requires a lot of focus. However, if you have someone reading it out loud, finding mistakes becomes a lot easier. Read My Document add-in for Microsoft Office reads out the things written on the document and allows you to take your eyes off for a long time.
Read My Document is available on Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project from Microsoft and can be installed for free. If you are using Office 2013, you can run this add-in without any hassle, though for MacOS, 2016 version is required.
Conclusion
Add-ins for Microsoft Office are very vital to enhance productivity. All of the add-ins work on Microsoft Word for both Windows and Mac, while Handy Calculator, Wikipedia and Read My Document are available on Excel as well.
All the add-in would require the Microsoft account to be downloaded. Besides this, work and school account can also be used.
