Microsoft Office remains the gold standard for productivity software, but the right add-ins can transform your workflow. With hundreds available, choosing the best can feel overwhelming. Drawing from extensive experience testing these tools, here are 20 proven add-ins to install today for real efficiency gains.
Boomerang took third place in the Best Overall Add-in category at the 2017 Office App Awards.
Designed for Outlook, it lets you schedule emails, track responses, set reminders, book appointments, and more—with an AI assistant to refine your messages.
Free, with a 14-day Pro trial.
IFTTT connects apps effortlessly, automating actions across them via triggers.
The Microsoft applet includes 46 free recipes. No perfect match? Build your own. How to Automate Microsoft Office Tasks with IFTTT Recipes offers practical examples.
In our global workplace, language barriers persist. This free Outlook add-in, powered by Microsoft Translator API, handles over 60 languages seamlessly.
Send payments to contacts instantly from Outlook—no PayPal login required. Just enter the email, and it handles the rest.
Free to download and use.
Advance the paperless office dream with DocuSign. Access it from Word's ribbon to drag-and-drop signatures or add signer fields.
Free tier: 5 docs (Microsoft account) or 10 (Office 365). Pro plan: $10/month.
Zoho's robust cloud CRM rivals Salesforce. This add-in syncs users, calendars, docs, and sales data across Office 365, streamlining SMB operations.
Free basic version; Pro upgrades available.
Word's built-in checker falls short on nuance. Grammarly catches typos, grammar issues, dangling modifiers, passive voice—and adapts to your style.
Free for Word.
Streamline research: Search Wikipedia from a task pane, cite sources properly, and avoid browser-switching.
Free official add-in.
For Excel, generate random numbers, integers, dates, or booleans—ideal for test data or formula validation.
Free.
Seamlessly integrate Google Drive into Office's Save As menu: open, save, and share files directly.
Accidentally deleted key emails? This scans Outlook's deleted folder to recover them—or purge permanently. Pairs well with inbox zero strategies like those for Gmail.
Ensures academic and professional standards: generates abbreviation tables and flags undefined ones.
Free.
PowerPoint's stock library upgrade: royalty-free images, beyond Bing's limits. Pro ($1.99/month) adds HD, saves, and no ads.
Bring tabbed interfaces to Office apps, like modern browsers—jump between docs via a ribbon bar. Complements tabbed file explorers.
Track time precisely, akin to Pomodoro for focused sprints. (Note: Currently unavailable.)
Elevate beyond basic templates: 300+ polished Word/Excel options for budgets, invites, presentations, and more.
Save reusable phrases, sentences, or paragraphs for one-click insertion—perfect for repetitive writing.
Free.
Handwrite equations in Word using pen, finger, or mouse—supports 200+ symbols, easier than native tools.
Excel powerhouse: detects duplicates in large sheets, with options to color, copy, move, or delete.
Free.
Outlook's official scheduler: polls availability, proposes slots, and votes for optimal meeting times.
Free.
This list is just the start. Explore more in our guides: 5 Microsoft Office Add-ins and Apps to Boost Your Productivity and 10 Handy Productivity Add-ins for Microsoft Word.
