This article will provide you with an overview of the Ironclad for Word Add-in, including the Ironclad context now surfaced in the sidebar while you draft.
Use Case
Drafters working in Microsoft Word can’t easily tell who else is editing a document, which version they’re on, or whether their upload reached Ironclad, and internal comments need to be tagged by hand. The add-in surfaces that context directly in the sidebar so you can keep drafting in Word without switching back to the browser.
Prerequisites
| Features |
Microsoft Word, Integrations |
| Permissions |
An admin must configure the Word integration for your company. |
Enable/Access: This functionality is available to Ironclad customers on select pricing plans. If you’re unable to activate the Ironclad for Word Add-In, please contact your customer success manager or the Ironclad Support team for assistance.
Release: One or more of the following features and functionalities will go live on August 13, 2026. To learn more about what's included in our August release, refer to What's New in Ironclad: August 2026.
About the Ironclad for Word Add-In
The Ironclad for Word add-in lets you search for Ironclad documents from within Microsoft Word, so you can reach your documents without opening Ironclad.
The add-in also:
- Detects Ironclad documents automatically when they’re downloaded from Ironclad. Your document is connected to the correct workflow and version history.
- Saves back to Ironclad at any time. You can complete an extensive review and then save a single version back to Ironclad when you’re finished.
- Surfaces Ironclad context in the sidebar. You’ll be able to see who’s editing, which version you’re working on, whether your last upload synced, and a direct link back to the workflow in Ironclad.
The Ironclad for Word add-in is compatible with both Word Desktop and Word Online. Learn more about editing Ironclad documents in Word Online.
Install the Ironclad for Word Add-In
Note: Any user with the Microsoft Marketplace blocked should still be able to deploy add-ins through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Their IT team—or whoever manages Microsoft Office deployments—can follow the deployment instructions from Microsoft.
To install the Ironclad for Word Add-In:
- Open Microsoft Word.
- Create or open an existing Word document.
- Click the Add-ins button.
-
Search for Ironclad.
- Click Add.
Once installed, a side panel for the Ironclad for Word add-in will appear beside your document.
From here, you can click the Sign in button to get started.
Note: If your company uses Ironclad’s North America domain (ironcladapp.com), then sign in with your preferred method. If your company uses another domain (e.g., eu1.ironcladapp.com) to select your workspace first and then log in with your preferred method. Once you’ve selected your stack, your preference will be preserved for future sessions.
Find a Workflow in the Ironclad for Word Add-In
The Ironclad for Word add-in automatically identifies and links documents created in Ironclad to their corresponding workflows.
Note: If (in some cases), a third-party system removes the metadata required for identification, or if you just want to edit the latest version in Word without opening Ironclad, the add-in lets you reconnect the document to the correct workflow directly within Word.
There are two ways to search through workflows:
- The Open search icon (magnifying glass) opens up a search bar for free-text queries.
- The Open filters icon (three stacked horizontal lines) opens up All filters, where you can select relevant properties.
Note: The Properties metadata shows up in the Word Add-In panel.
After selecting a workflow, select the document you want to work on. You can also click the +New document button to start fresh.
Protected View
If a document opens in Protected View, the add-in will still work once you click Enable Editing. If you start with a blank document and select an Ironclad workflow, the add-in behaves normally. To avoid Protected View restrictions altogether, you can add Ironclad to your Trusted Sites in Word’s Trust Center settings.
Upload Back to Ironclad
After connecting your Word document to the correct Ironclad workflow and document, you can save it back to Ironclad directly from Word.
This feature works independently of Word's regular save function. You can complete extensive editing sessions without worrying about losing work or creating too many versions in Ironclad. When you're finished, simply click Upload to Ironclad to create a new version that matches your latest Word document.
Functionalities of the Ironclad for Word Add-In Panel
Release: One or more of the following features and functionalities will go live on August 13, 2026. To learn more about what's included in our August release, refer to What's New in Ironclad: August 2026.
Branched Versioning for Multiple Drafts
Ironclad supports branched versioning for multiple drafts. For example, if two people make changes to Version 29 of an Ironclad document, and Person A is editing in Ironclad while Person B edits in Word, their changes will be saved to Ironclad as versions 30 and 31, respectively.
You can check which version you’re working on in the side panel. The version indicator shows which Ironclad version the open document corresponds to. The version indicator is read-only. To compare versions or manage version history, open the workflow in Ironclad.
Leave Comments in Word
You can leave comments in the Word document. When you upload the new version back to Ironclad, those comments will appear on the Ironclad version. External comments appear as white, and internal comments appear as brown (highlighted yellow).
There are two ways to mark a comment as internal:
- Turn on internal comment mode in the sidebar. While internal comment mode is on, the add-in prepends [INTERNAL] to each comment you leave. Internal commenting is a user-level setting, so each person controls it for their own comments.
- Type the [INTERNAL] tag yourself. Putting [INTERNAL] before a comment syncs that comment to Ironclad as an internal comment.
Either way, the tagged comments appear as internal comments on the Ironclad version.
Warning: Warning: Internal comment mode tags comments so they sync as internal. It does not anonymize comment authors, and doesn’t audit existing comments before upload. Review your comments before uploading a version you plan to share with a counterparty.
Search to Select Workflows Inside the Word Add-In Panel
Users can search to select a workflow inside the Word Add-In panel on the right-hand side. You'll have the option to filter through existing workflows.
Note: Users can't search to select another Word document from inside the Word Add-In panel because users can't have more than one document open at a time inside Microsoft Word.
Sync Changes Made in Review Mode
In Review mode, you can delete a word in the Word document. When you upload the new version to Ironclad, the deletion appears as a strikethrough in the Ironclad version.
Reset Approvals Before Uploading
Select the Allow approvals to reset option in the sidebar before you upload the latest version of your Word document to Ironclad.
View Editors
You can see who else has worked on or is working on the document.
Open Workflow in Ironclad
The Word side panel includes a persistent View in Ironclad link that opens the connected workflow in your browser. Use the link when you need to do something that the add-in doesn’t support.
Confirm Your Upload Synced
After you upload a new version, the side panel displays the sync state along with a last-synced timestamp, so you can confirm your changes reached Ironclad before you close the document.
Resources
Explore articles, courses, and support options to get the most out of Ironclad.