Installing a Brightpane add-in
Every Brightpane tool is a standard Microsoft Office add-in: a small
manifest.xml file that tells Office where to find it. Installing one
takes about two minutes and works the same on Windows, Mac, and Office on the web.
No installer, no admin rights in most setups, nothing running in the background.
✓ Your manifest is downloading.
Look in your Downloads folder for manifest.xml, then
follow the steps below to add it to Office.
Coming to AppSource. The add-ins are being submitted to Microsoft AppSource, Office's built-in marketplace. Once listed, installation becomes one click from inside Office — until then, the manual "sideload" steps below work today and are fully supported.
Step 1 — Download the manifest
On any product page, click
Try free — your browser downloads that add-in's
manifest.xml and brings you back here. Save it somewhere you can
find it again, like your Downloads folder. That single file is the whole
installation.
Step 2 — Upload it into Office
Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Open the app (desktop or web) with any document, workbook or presentation.
- Go to Insert › Add-ins (on some versions: Home › Add-ins › More Add-ins).
- Choose My Add-ins, then Upload My Add-in.
- Select the
manifest.xmlyou downloaded and click Upload. - A new button appears on your ribbon — click it to open the add-in's pane.
Outlook
- In Outlook (new Outlook for Windows, Mac, or outlook.com), open Get add-ins — via the ribbon, or Settings › Manage add-ins depending on your version.
- Choose My add-ins, scroll to Custom Addins.
- Pick Add a custom add-in › Add from URL (or Add from file with the downloaded manifest).
- Confirm the install. The add-in appears in your compose and read windows.
Step 3 — That's it
The free tools work immediately — no account, no sign-up. If you buy a Pro license later, paste the key into the pane's License box and the Pro tools unlock instantly.
Notes & troubleshooting
- Work or school account? Some organizations disable sideloading. If the upload option is missing, your Microsoft 365 admin can deploy the add-in centrally (Admin center › Integrated apps) or allow custom add-ins for your account.
- Removing an add-in is the reverse: same dialog, hover the add-in under My Add-ins and choose remove. It leaves nothing behind.
- Updates happen automatically — the add-in is loaded fresh from the web each time, so you always have the latest version.
- Stuck? Email [email protected] and I'll walk you through it.