Install Annotate PRO for Microsoft Word 2019/O365
You install Annotate PRO for Microsoft Word (2016, 2019, O365 versions) from the Microsoft Office Store which you reach from the Insert tab inside Microsoft Word.
Annotate PRO is forever free. Create as many Libraries, Groups, and Comments as you’d like – then use them in Word, Google Docs, Canvas, Schoology, Blackboard – almost anywhere you type.
When you sign up you’ll get a 14-day free trial of our paid features including sub-Groups, analytics, student history, and Forms. After the 14 days you can continue with the free version or choose to license our software and/or content.
Annotate PRO College Edition adds 250+ more pre-written comments suitable for college and high school writing feedback. We also offer a Legal Writing Edition and are working on additional libraries for English Language Learners and Presentation Skills. Most powerfully, organizations can license Annotate PRO and then create their own libraries to be automatically shared across all faculty. Whether you are running a writing across the curriculum initiative, a tutoring team, or a professional editing operation, Annotate PRO can bring cloud comment libraries into your daily work, saving hours of effort while helping create much more detailed feedback.
Annotate PRO for Microsoft Word Gettin’ Started Guide:
First, make sure your Microsoft Word installation is up to date. Microsoft are releasing updates that directly affect add-ins like AP on a monthly basis.
Hopefully you’re running an updated version of Windows 10/11 with Microsoft Edge or macOS. If so, skip to the steps below.
If you have a computer provided by your institution or company your ability to install updates may be limited. Please contact your IT department if the steps below don’t work for you.
If you’re using Window 7 or 8, you may have to install or update Internet Explorer 11.
- Install Internet Explorer 11 (only if you’re on Windows 7, or 8. Windows 8.1 and Windows 10/11 users can ignore).
- Make sure IE11 is updated. To do this, open IE11, click the gear icon in the top right of the screen, and check Install new versions automatically.
Steps to install the free Annotate PRO Microsoft Word App:
Note: if your computer or Office account is provided by your school or organization your ability to install Microsoft add-ins like AP may be limited. It is quite easy for your organizations IT department to allow individuals or groups to install add-ins or even specific add-ins. See our short guide detailing what to ask of your IT partners. Chances are they’ll be happy to help you explore new technology!
Okay – on with the steps!
- Open Microsoft Word (you may know it as “Office 365”)
- Visit the Insert tab
- Look for either the Add-ins button or Store button – (what you see depends on how wide your window is). If you only see Add-ins, click it to reveal the Store button
- Click Store and then search the Office Store for “Annotate PRO”
- The process is much like adding an app to your phone.
- Install Annotate PRO.
- Once installed, you’ll see an Annotate tab in Microsoft Word. If you don’t see an Annotate tab, click Add-ins to access Annotate PRO.
- To use Annotate PRO, click Annotate, then the Annotate Home button –
. Annotate PRO will open in a ‘taskpane’ on the right of your Word document.
- Create an account – use your school email to ensure you can use the forever free version of AP available to educators and that you connect to your organization’s AP institutional license.
- Signing up with email requires verification that you own the email account; you’ll receive a confirmation email within a minute or two and must click on a link in that email to verify your email.
- Once you’re ‘in,’ you can use the Add a Library button on the Annotate PRO home page to review available libraries, like the College Edition or Legal Writing Edition, and choose to install them.
Quick Overview Video – Installing Annotate PRO for Microsoft Word
FAQ – Annotate PRO for Microsoft Word
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What version of Microsoft Word do I need to happily use Annotate PRO?
Microsoft has become a lot cooler and competent over the last few years…but their naming conventions for Office still leave a lot to be desired.
- Office 365 is the name for a subscription version of Office. It is the same thing as saying “Office 2016” or “Word 2019,” at least for now.
- Office 2016 or Office 2019 is the latest Office product from Microsoft.
- If your installation of Office is managed by a central IT group your ability to update might be limited.
Please check out our post on updating Word to make sure you’ve got the latest version possible.
To see what version you’ve got:
- Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11:
- Open Word
- Click File > Account or Help from the list on the left
- You should see your
- macOS
- Open Word 2016/2019/O365
- Click Word > About Word in the app menu
- Your version should be displayed.
For help see this Microsoft support page.
In general, you should be in good shape if your version of Microsoft Word is at least:
- Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11:
- Version 16.0.6741 or later
- macOS:
- 15.20 or later
- Office Online:
- January 2017
Windows 7 or Windows 8 users need to make sure to update Internet Explore 11, also.
Ideally you have IE11 set to automatic updates. Here’s how:
- Open IE11 (Windows 10 users may not even know they have it, since Microsoft Edge is the default browser).
- Click the Tools menu or cog icon in the top-right of the screen.
- You’ll see the version number of your install and (hopefully) a checkbox that allows you to install updates automatically. If you don’t see this checkbox it’s because your central IT folks have set up some other process for updates.
How do I update Microsoft Word?
Sometimes the technology folks at an organization control the updating of Word – you can’t just do it yourself.
So update Word if you can! Here’s how.
How to add or create a Comment Libraries?
Visit our Create and Edit Annotate PRO content to learn how to create new Libraries, Groups, sub-Groups, and Comments. Learn how to move Comments between Groups and share content (if you are an institutional user) with your colleagues.