Microsoft Office (also known as Office 365 and Microsoft 365) is considered to be the most powerful set of programs when it comes to office productivity software. Although sometimes criticized for its pricing, especially compared to its most notable rivals such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice as well as cloud-based Google Workspace, Microsoft’s prodigy child still seems to be a common synonym for any office-related computer work.
Let’s take a quick recap of what Office consists of. Though the exact set of programs depends on the version, the most recognizable apps are definitely: Word (text editor), Excel (spreadsheet editor), Outlook (e-mail client and more), PowerPoint (presentation editor), Teams (audio & video communicator), Publisher (graphic design tool), Access (database management tool), OneNote (note editor). In some editions, it also adds free space for files in OneDrive cloud and provides access to other services.
Add-ins (extensions) for Word – examples
OK, I know – the information mentioned above is not mind-changing. Let’s move to something more surprising, then. Some Microsoft Office programs can extend their functionalities by third-party tools in a similar way that it works in web browsers. When it comes to Microsoft 365, additional tools are called add-ins* and they use JavaScript APIs on the backend.
What can be done with the support of add-ins? Let me give you some examples.
Citavi started as a freemium desktop app that helps in organizing knowledge. Targeting academic researchers and journalists, it was (and still is) considered to be a very useful tool. One of the most notable options is the Word add-in that integrates your Citavi project with the text editor and allows you to manage the bibliography in a way that is much easier than using basic Word mechanics – including pasting the whole bibliography with just a few clicks.
But Citavi is a very specific tool for a specific audience. Grammarly, on the other hand, is practically for everyone – and it also has an official add-in for Microsoft Word. Just like ‘normal’ Grammarly, it analyzes the content in the editor and helps to improve its quality and comprehensiveness.
MyScript Math Sample can help you insert math equations into your Word content – and does it much better than the built-in functions. This tool allows you to draw even complicated equations and add-in transforms into digital ones that are ‘understood’ by Word.
And these are just some examples from the add-ins library.
*Microsoft loves changing the names of their stuff – add-ins were earlier known as Office Apps.
Microsoft Office – cheap key
Although Office can be somehow confusing due to the number of available versions (for enterprise, for small business, for individual users, for education, etc.) and even its names (it’s Microsoft 365 now – at least officially), it is probably still the best choice if you’re looking for an office work mothership. You can find Microsoft Office cheap keys (and digital versions of other Microsoft products such as Windows) at key-soft.uk.