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Draftable extends beyond the desktop application through a family of add-ins that bring document comparison directly into Microsoft Office and Outlook. This section explains what each add-in does and shows you how to use it.
Looking to install or deploy these add-ins? This section covers how to use the add-ins. If you are an administrator looking to roll them out across your organization, head to the configuration article for the add-in you need:

Configure Draftable in Office

Install and configure the Draftable in Office add-in.

Configure Draftable for Office

Install and configure the Draftable for Office add-in.

Configure Draftable in Outlook

Install and configure the Draftable in Outlook add-in.

Configure Draftable for Outlook

Install and configure the Draftable for Outlook add-in.

Configure Redline in Email

Deploy the Redline in Email Outlook add-in.

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Understanding “in” versus “for”

Our JavaScript Office and Outlook add-ins come in two variants, and the difference is where you work:
  • Draftable in Office / Outlook — a modern panel that opens inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. You select files, run comparisons, and review results without leaving the host application.
  • Draftable for Office / Outlook sends content to the Draftable desktop application, where you complete the comparison. The Office JavaScript add-in sends documents and selected content; the Outlook JavaScript add-in sends attachments and supported DMS links.
For a side-by-side view of all five add-ins, what each one does, and which to deploy, see Which Draftable add-in should I use? Both variants described above are modern JavaScript add-ins, and they are the ones we recommend you deploy, through the Microsoft 365 admin center. We also maintain three legacy COM add-ins, for Word, Outlook and Excel, for environments that cannot use Microsoft 365 Centralized Deployment. The names overlap. The machine-wide MSI installs the COM add-ins and calls them Draftable for Outlook, Draftable for Word and Draftable for Excel, so Draftable for Outlook can mean either the JavaScript add-in or the COM add-in. You can tell them apart by how they were deployed: the JavaScript add-ins are deployed with a manifest, and the COM add-ins are installed by the MSI.
Use the JavaScript add-ins wherever you can. The COM add-ins install per user onto each endpoint and depend on the Microsoft VSTO runtime, which makes them more sensitive to how a Windows estate is built and managed. Administrators deciding between the two generations, or consolidating onto one, should read COM add-ins vs JavaScript add-ins and Moving from the COM add-ins to the JavaScript add-ins.

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Office add-ins

Using Draftable in Office

Compare documents from a panel inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Using Draftable for Office

Send documents from Office straight to Draftable Desktop for comparison.

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Outlook & email add-ins

Using Draftable in Outlook

Compare email attachments and files from a panel inside Outlook.

Using Draftable for Outlook

Send attachments and supported DMS links from Outlook to Draftable Desktop.

Using Redline in Email

Live email redlining, plus accept and reject changes, without leaving your inbox.

Draftable Legal Outlook add-in (COM)

The legacy COM add-in for comparing attachments, text, and 1-Click Compare.