Microsoft 365 has no single screen for every add-in permission. Check the control that matches your concern: desktop Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have Trust Center add-in security settings; Office privacy menus control optional connected experiences; supported web and new Outlook clients prompt for device access; and administrators manage organization-deployed add-ins and app consent separately.
First identify the Office app and platform you use. Menu labels and available controls vary by client, version, and organization policy.
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Check add-in security in desktop Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
In a Windows desktop version of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, open File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Add-ins. Microsoft documents these controls for managing application add-ins. See Microsoft Support’s add-in guidance.
- Require application add-ins to be signed by a trusted publisher: restricts add-ins to those with signatures from publishers you trust.
- Disable notification for unsigned add-ins: suppresses warnings while keeping unsigned add-ins disabled.
- Disable all Application Add-ins: turns off application add-ins, which may impair Office functionality.
Microsoft warns that your organization may determine these settings, leaving some options unavailable. If controls are locked or missing, ask your Microsoft 365 administrator. Restart the Office app for changes to take effect.
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Change optional connected-experience privacy settings
Optional connected experiences are a separate privacy control from the desktop Trust Center’s add-in security options. Their availability and effect differ across Office clients; an organization may also manage them centrally. Microsoft describes the relevant controls in its guidance on optional connected experiences in Office.
- Windows: in an Office app, go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.
- Mac: open an Office app, then choose app menu > Preferences > Privacy.
If you cannot change the setting, it may be governed by your organization rather than absent from your Office installation. Turning off optional connected experiences can affect add-ins and access to the add-in store, with different behavior depending on the client:
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| Client | Effect Microsoft documents when optional connected experiences are off |
|---|---|
| Office for the web and new Outlook for Windows | Admin-deployed add-ins remain visible and usable; user-installed store add-ins cannot be used. |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | Add-ins remain usable, but the store is inaccessible. |
| Office for Mac | Add-ins are hidden from the ribbon, and the store is inaccessible. |
| Outlook mobile | Only admin-deployed add-ins appear in Get Add-ins. |
These are client-specific behaviors, not a universal rule for every Office app. Microsoft’s current details are in its optional connected experiences documentation.
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Office for the web in Chromium-based browsers and new Outlook for Windows can ask for a device capability such as the camera, microphone, or geolocation when an add-in requests it. This is a client-specific prompt, not one shared Microsoft 365 permission screen. Microsoft documents the behavior in Privacy and security for Office Add-ins.
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- Allow: grants persistent access. To revoke it, uninstall the add-in or clear that browser’s cache.
- Allow Once: grants access until the browser tab or window closes.
- Deny: blocks the request; the add-in may ask again the next time you use it.
Understand what an add-in’s permission label means
For add-ins that interact with an Office document, the add-in manifest declares the requested document-access level. Microsoft Learn explains that an add-in needs to declare its permission in the manifest to interact with a user’s document. Outlook add-ins that interact with mailboxes can present requested permissions, terms, and privacy policies before installation.
A permission label is not a complete account of an add-in’s data practices. Office Add-ins use web technologies that run in a browser control or iframe, and the hosted web application can change over time. Before installing, review the publisher, requested permissions, terms, and privacy policy where available. See Microsoft’s privacy and security guidance and Microsoft’s deployment guidance.
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Review deployed Office add-ins
Administrators can review and manage deployed add-ins in Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Integrated apps. Select an add-in, then open Users to review or change its assignment. Admins can centrally assign, disable, or remove deployed add-ins. See Microsoft’s admin center add-in guidance.
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Control user access to the Office Store
To manage whether users can acquire many add-ins themselves, go to Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Org settings > Services > User owned apps and services and set Let users access the Office Store. This Marketplace control has an exception: it does not apply to Outlook add-ins. For deployment options, see Microsoft’s Office add-in deployment documentation.
Review enterprise-application consent separately
If the issue is consent for an enterprise application in your tenant—not an Office add-in’s document permission or connected-experience setting—an administrator can review Microsoft Entra admin center > Identity > Applications > Enterprise apps > Consent and permissions > User consent settings. This applies across the organization and is distinct from Office Trust Center controls. Microsoft recommends restricting user consent to verified-publisher applications to reduce risk. See Configure how users consent to applications.
Legacy Office 2019 privacy controls
Some volume-licensed Office 2019, Project 2019, and Visio 2019 installations used Trust Center privacy options for connected experiences. Microsoft ended support for those products on October 14, 2025, so this is a legacy path rather than the current route for supported Microsoft 365 apps.
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