Word Add-ins are a powerful tool to speed up your document creation process
Microsoft Word it is extremely popular in most of the offices all over the world. It’s a powerful tool and it can be even more powerful when used in its full capability. Add-ins are one example, you can easily access information on the web using it, you can look up items on Wikipedia or Google Maps, for example, without leaving Microsoft Word. It can also add more functionalities and fun to your documents and projects.
In the article below we gathered a selection of the best Word Add-ins to help with your daily activities.
How to Get Word Add-in
To use the Add-ins, the first step is to add them to your profile, to do it follow the instructions below.
1 – Click Insert > Get Add-ins
2 – Once the Add-in tool pop up, click on Store to choose your option.
Microsoft automatically will suggest some options for you based on your profile, you can also navigate thought the categories and search using the search box in the top left. Click an add-in to read more about it, and then click Add or Buy.
If you’re prompted to sign in, type the email address and password you use to sign in to Office programs. Review the privacy information, and then click Continue (for free add-ins), or confirm billing information and complete your purchase.
How to Use your Add-in
After downloading your selection of Add-ins you are ready to use them. To start using it go to insert and click on My Adds-ins as you can see below.
Once you have clicked on My Add-ins you must click See All to access all of them. A pop-up window will open with all your Add-ins added, as above.
If you want to remove them from your list, just click with the right button and hit remove, do the same action if you want to rate and review the Add-in. Once you have added them into your Add-ins list, they will be available for all your Microsoft Office applications, such as PowerPoint, for example.
10 Microsoft Word Add-ins Recommended for Everyday Productivity
We selected a couple of recommended Word Add-ins based on their popularity and applicability in general.
1 - Writing Assistant
Writing Assistants are a good option if you use Word to write in your daily basis, they help with spelling, typo mistakes and grammar. If English isn’t your first language, they are even more necessary and can save you some time. They are artificial intelligence powered and it will flag error and suggestions.
In the image below you can see an example of a search for Grammar related add-ins. We recommend giving preference for the ones with good reviews. Some are free and others will require a further additional purchase to get advanced tools.
2 - Handy Calculator
Handy calculator can save you a few seconds as it works alongside your open Word document in a task pane. It’s useful if your activity demands lots of maths and if you don’t have a calculator on your desk. Once downloaded, it will open on the right side of your document, as the image below:
3 - Wikipedia
The world most famous online encyclopaedia can be a good source of information for college essays, research papers and even for some writers when they need to check dates and specific piece of information. The main advantage is that you don’t need to jump from your document to the browser. The Wikipedia add-in can work alongside with Word’s Researcher function to help you cross check information and improve accuracy.
4 - Symbol Search
If you want to have access to more symbols than the ones provided by Word Icon gallery you can add the Symbol Search Add-in in your selection. Symbol Search has a categorized line-up and a handy search box to find a unique symbol. Click on More (three-dot menu option) and find the registered symbol, double asterisks, subscript numbers etc.
5 - Pro Word Cloud
Sometimes you want to add a visual element to your document or highlight something which happens frequently. An easy way to it is by adding a word cloud to your text, but you don’t want a general word cloud, you want a cloud generated by your set of words. In this scenario, Pro Word Cloud can help you.
6 - Pexels
There is loads of options when the topic is stock illustrations and images. To get access the best ones you must pay for a subscription. But if you are just searching for an image to add a visual element to your document, you will probably be happy enough with the free options and creative commons licensed images available in Pexels.
7 - Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker
As the name says, it’s an Add-in to check if the document is original or if contains pieces of information that would be classified as plagiarism. The cloud-based app uses its algorithms to scan any document and ensure its integrity. Copyleaks also supports multiple languages and you can scan up to 10 pages a month for free.
It’s probably a good option for teachers, researchers and people whose deal with academic writing.
8 - Lucidchart Diagrams for Word
You can use Lucidchart for draw flowcharts, mock-ups, mind maps and business process charts. Sometimes a flowchart or a business process diagram can make a complex concept simpler and easy to understand. If you don’t master the skills to have a nice and well-done version of a flowchart in your document, you can use the app to give you an extra help. It contains a library of shapes and lines to quickly create your own diagrams.
9 – Read my Document
Basically, read my document is a text to speech converter that reads your Microsoft Office documents aloud. It can be useful for editing documents, proofreading, etc. You can pick up a voice and the speech speed to begin. It also allows you to do something else while the app does the read the document aloud. Just one concern is to not use it for extremely confidential documents as the engine can send data over the internet.
10 – Emoji Keyboard
If you want to add more fun into your Word document or PowerPoint presentation you can add the Emoji Keyboard, which contains about 1300 to choose from. There’s also a skin tone modifier to be more inclusive.
*The article above is based on the information provided in these 2 links: 1 and 2
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