Claude for Word is Anthropic’s own add-in, not a third-party plugin. It opens Claude in a sidebar that reads the document you have open and edits it in place, keeping your styles and numbering.
- Install Claude for Word
- Draft new content
- Rewrite selected text
- Edit with tracked changes
- Bring an existing Claude chat into Word
What’s official
Anthropic documents the add-in in Use Claude for Word. At the time of writing:
- It’s published on Microsoft AppSource as Claude for Microsoft 365, which also covers Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- It’s available on Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.
- It runs on Word on the web, Word for Windows with Microsoft 365 (Version 2205, build 15202.10000 or later) and Word for Mac (16.61 or later).
- It doesn’t run on Word 2016 or 2019 perpetual licences, Word on iPad or Word on Android.
Installing Claude for Word
Use this when you’re setting Claude up for yourself.
- Open Anthropic’s Claude for Word page and follow the link to the Claude for Microsoft 365 listing on Microsoft AppSource.
- Select Get it now to install the add-in.
- Open Word. On Windows go to Home > Add-ins; on Mac go to Tools > Add-ins. Choose Claude.
- Sign in with your Claude account in the sidebar.
Result: Claude opens in a pane beside your document.
Note: In a company, an admin can deploy the add-in to everyone from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, so it appears without installing.
Drafting content in Word with Claude
Use this when you’re starting a document, or filling in a template.
- Click where the new content should go.
- In the Claude pane, describe what you need, such as “Draft a one-page project summary with a timeline table”.
- Attach reference files if needed. The video shows uploading a PDF, a Word file and images.
- Review what Claude inserts.
Result: New headings, tables and paragraphs take on your document’s styles. The video also shows Claude creating tables and equations.
Rewriting selected text
Use this when one paragraph or section needs to be shorter, clearer or in a different tone.
- Select the passage in your document.
- Tell Claude what to change, for example “Tighten this and drop the passive voice” or “Summarise this in three bullets”.
Result: Claude edits only the selection. Surrounding styles, numbering and formatting stay as they were.
Editing a Word document with Claude and track changes
Use this when you need to see, and approve, every change Claude makes.
- In Word, go to Review > Tracking > Track Changes to turn on tracking, as described in Microsoft’s Track changes in Word.
- In the Claude pane, ask for an edit to the whole document or to a selected section.
- When Claude asks permission to edit the document, approve it.
- Review each insertion and deletion, and Accept or Reject it on the Review tab.
Result: Claude’s edits appear as tracked revisions. Deletions show as strikethrough and additions as underlined text.
Anthropic also describes a tracked changes mode inside the add-in, plus two related features:
- Comments: Claude can work through open comment threads, edit the anchored text and reply with what it changed.
- Redlines: Claude can summarise a counterparty’s tracked changes and flag the ones worth pushing back on.
Tip: Set standing preferences, such as “use formal tone”, in the add-in’s Settings > Instructions. They apply to every Word conversation.
Bringing an existing Claude chat into Word
Use this when the content already exists in a claude.ai chat, or you don’t have a paid plan.
The add-in doesn’t import your claude.ai chats. Chat history in Word is stored locally in your browser and doesn’t sync across devices.
- Claude Docs: In claude.ai, ask Claude to turn the chat into a doc, then click Export > Word (.docx).
- Our extension: Claude to PDF, Word and Google Docs, built by the team behind Merge Docs Pro, exports a response or the whole chat as a Word file with tables and math intact. The last chapter of the main video shows it.
Both are covered step by step in how to export a Claude chat to PDF, Word or Google Docs. For files Claude generates, see downloading Claude artifacts as PDF or Word.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Claude for Word: draft | New sections and templates | Windows, Mac, web |
| Claude for Word: rewrite | Editing one passage | Windows, Mac, web |
| Claude for Word + Track Changes | Reviewable edits | Windows, Mac, web |
| Export from claude.ai | Existing chats, any plan | Browser |
Platform differences
- Windows: Needs a Microsoft 365 subscription build. Open the add-in from Home > Add-ins.
- Mac: Needs Word 16.61 or later. Open it from Tools > Add-ins.
- Word on the web: Supported. Chat history stays in that browser.
- iPad and Android: Not supported.
- .doc files: Save as .docx first.
Troubleshooting the Claude Word add-in
- Add-in not listed: Update Word to a supported build, then restart it. Perpetual Word 2016 and 2019 can’t run it.
- Sidebar won’t load or sign in: Close and reopen the add-in, and sign in with a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise account.
- Admin-deployed add-in missing: Your organisation may have turned off Let users access the Office Store. Anthropic’s page describes a manifest-based deployment for admins.
- Claude can’t edit the file: Convert a .doc file to .docx with File > Save As.
Only use the add-in with documents you trust. Anthropic warns that files from outside sources can hide instructions aimed at Claude, so review tracked changes before accepting them.
Prefer Google Docs? See how to use Claude in Google Docs. For math-heavy documents, writing math equations in Word covers Word’s equation editor, and the AI chats and documents hub has the rest of this series.