Draftable in Office requires Draftable version 25.10.000 or later to be installed and running on the user’s system. We recommend running 25.12.000 or later if possible.
Using Draftable in Word
Once installed, the Draftable in Office add-in appears under the Home tab in Microsoft Word.
Workflow options using Draftable within Word
Under the Home tab, you’ll find three primary buttons:1. Draftable in Office
Selecting the Draftable button opens the Draftable panel on the right-hand side of Word. From here, you can choose which documents or content to use for comparison on the Older and Newer sides.
After selecting your documents and running the comparison, you can open the result in Draftable Legal or use one of the export options to save, email, copy, or print the comparison.
2. Compare Open Documents
With Draftable Desktop 26.10.0 or later and add-in 2.69.0.0 or later, Compare Open lists compatible saved documents open in Word, including files where you have not opened the add-in. Select two files to compare. If unsaved files are left out, a notice tells you how many are missing. Save those files, then refresh the list. If Draftable cannot check every open file, it warns that the list may be incomplete. With an older supported Desktop version, you get the shorter list of files registered by the add-in. Once the comparison is complete, the same export workflows (open, save, email, copy, or print) are available.3. Compare Versions
The Compare Versions feature allows you to compare different versions of the same document — ideal for version-controlled files (e.g., from iManage, NetDocuments, or SharePoint). You can also refresh versions if a new version has been saved or published. For iManage documents, selecting a server version compares that version, rather than substituting a local working copy with the same version number. Just like other comparison modes, results can be opened in Draftable Legal or exported using the available workflows.
Compare selected text in Word
Select text in Word and right-click it. Choose Set Text as Older or Set Text as Newer to load the selection into the corresponding side of the add-in’s comparison panel. To send whole documents straight to the desktop application’s New Comparison window, use the Draftable for Office JavaScript add-in.Using Draftable in Excel
In Excel, the Draftable in Office add-in also appears under the Home tab. The ribbon group includes additional options specific to spreadsheets, including worksheet and cell range comparison. The Excel button group provides seven actions:- 2.69 and later
- Before 2.69
Workflow options using Draftable within Excel
1. Draftable in Office
Selecting the Draftable button opens the same comparison panel on the right-hand side of Excel. You can choose documents or content for the Older and Newer sides using the same options as in Word — Current Document, Enter Text, Browse Files, and Recent Files.- 2.69 and later
- Before 2.69
2. Compare Open Spreadsheets
The Compare Open option lists compatible saved spreadsheets open in Excel, including files where you have not opened the add-in. The full list requires Desktop 26.10.0 or later and add-in 2.69.0.0 or later.
3. Compare Versions
The Compare Versions feature works the same as in Word, allowing you to compare different versions of the same spreadsheet — ideal for version-controlled files from a DMS.
Worksheet comparison
Excel includes Use Worksheet as Older and Use Worksheet as Newer buttons. These load the active worksheet into the older or newer side of the Draftable in Office comparison panel.
Range comparison
Excel also offers Use Range as Older and Use Range as Newer buttons. These allow you to compare a specific selection of cells rather than an entire worksheet — useful when you only need to compare a particular section of a spreadsheet.
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Using Draftable in PowerPoint
In PowerPoint, the Draftable in Office add-in appears under the Home tab with five actions tailored to presentations.- 2.69 and later
- Before 2.69
Workflow options using Draftable within PowerPoint
1. Draftable in Office
Selecting the Draftable button opens the comparison panel on the right-hand side of PowerPoint. The same options are available — Current Document, Enter Text, Browse Files, and Recent Files.- 2.69 and later
- Before 2.69
2. Compare Open Presentations
The Compare Open option lists compatible saved presentations open in PowerPoint, including files where you have not opened the add-in. The full list requires Desktop 26.10.0 or later and add-in 2.69.0.0 or later.
3. Compare Versions
The Compare Versions feature works the same as in Word and Excel, allowing you to compare different versions of the same presentation.
Slide comparison
PowerPoint includes Use Slides as Older and Use Slides as Newer buttons. These load the selected slides into the older or newer side of the Draftable in Office comparison panel.Use Slides as Older
Loads the selected slides into the comparison panel as the older (left) side.
Use Slides as Newer
Loads the selected slides into the comparison panel as the newer (right) side.
Shared settings
Within the Draftable in Office panel, you’ll find several configuration options that help personalize your comparison experience. These settings are shared across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Profiles
You can select which comparison profile to use for your comparisons directly within the Office add-in. Profiles allow administrators or users to predefine comparison settings such as markup style, color scheme, and formatting preferences.
Light/Dark modes
Next to the profile selector is a theme toggle, allowing you to switch between Light, Dark, and Auto color modes to suit your preference or Office theme.
Language
In the same section, you can also choose the language that Draftable in Office operates in. This setting affects the add-in’s interface and messages within Office. The screenshot below shows English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish and Tagalog.
Administrator control for Compare Open
Available from version 26.10.0 With add-in 2.69.0.0 or later, you can disable Compare Open in the Draftable in Office JavaScript add-in using this registry value:1 to block the command or 0 to allow it. The default is 0. The same value under HKLM:\Software\Policies\Draftable\OfficeAddin\CompareOpen applies to all users on the machine. The HKCU policy takes precedence over HKLM.
The button is greyed out where Office supports ribbon updates; it may remain visible in other hosts, but the command does not run. This setting also applies to the Draftable for Office JavaScript add-in. It does not apply to the Outlook JavaScript add-ins or the COM add-ins. It is a registry-only setting, with no Group Policy template entry.
Notes
- Draftable in Office requires Draftable version 25.10.000 or later to be installed and running on the user’s device. We recommend running 25.12.000 or later if possible.
- Comparisons performed within the Office add-in use the same engine as Draftable Legal, ensuring identical accuracy and output consistency across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- You can continue working within your Office application while running comparisons in the Draftable pane.
- Draftable Desktop 26.10.0 or later accepts add-in file uploads up to 50 MB per file.
- If Desktop declines a comparison, the add-in displays a message explaining that Desktop did not accept or start it.