DraftPilot Not Showing in Word Desktop (But Works in Word Online)

Last updated: 10 April 2026

If DraftPilot loads correctly in Word Online but does not appear in Word Desktop (not on the ribbon, not in Insert → Add-ins, and not in Admin Managed), the most common cause is that Word Desktop is not signed in with the correct Microsoft 365 account.

This can happen in two ways:

  1. Word Desktop is signed in with the wrong account, or

  2. No account is signed in to Word Desktop at all

Both situations prevent Word from loading your organisation’s assigned add-ins.

Why this happens

DraftPilot is deployed to your Microsoft 365 user account.
Word Desktop needs to be signed into that same account to retrieve your add-ins.

If Word Desktop is:

  • signed in with a device-only account

  • signed in with a personal Microsoft account

  • signed out entirely
    …then it has no way to pull down DraftPilot, even though everything works correctly in Word Online.

This is why you’ll see:

  • DraftPilot missing completely from the ribbon

  • Nothing under Insert → Add-ins → Admin Managed

  • Network diagnostics all green

  • DraftPilot working normally in the browser

How to Fix It (2 Minutes)

1. Check who is signed into Word Desktop

  1. Open Word Desktop

  2. Go to File → Account

  3. Look under User Information

You may see:

  • The wrong work account

  • A personal account

  • Or no account signed in (blank)

Any of these will block DraftPilot.

2. Sign out completely (if anything is signed in)

In File → Account, click Sign Out everywhere it appears.

Then:

  • Close Word fully using Exit (not just the window X)

3. Sign back in with your correct Microsoft 365 account

  1. Reopen Word

  2. Sign in with the Microsoft 365 account your organisation uses (e.g., [email protected])

  3. Go to Insert → Add-ins → Admin Managed

DraftPilot should appear automatically.

Still not showing? Try removing it from your local machine (Windows)

These steps should resolve the issue:

 1. Close down all Microsoft Applications (exit them) 

2. Open Run, enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\  

3. Delete everything in that folder 

4. Open Word, click Add-Ins (top right) and DraftPilot should appear once more.

STILL not showing?

If Word Desktop is definitely signed in with the correct Microsoft 365 account and DraftPilot still isn’t appearing:

  • Restart your computer (forces token refresh)

  • Make sure you’re not prompted for MFA or org permissions

  • Contact Support and confirm you’ve already re-signed into Word Desktop

Summary

If DraftPilot works in Word Online but not in Word Desktop, the cause is almost always that Word Desktop either:

  • isn’t signed in at all, or

  • is signed in with the wrong Microsoft 365 account.

Re-signing into Word Desktop with the correct account resolves the issue in nearly every case.

If you need help, we’re here.