AlphaSense Office Add-in: Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel Deployment Guides

AlphaSense brings AI-powered research and content creation directly into Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel. It runs as an Office add-in with a local companion app called AlphaSense App Manager that provides the backend AI services on your machine.

• Choose Your Path
  • Path 1: Individual Setup (Local Registration)
  • Path 2: Centralized Deployment (Microsoft 365 Admin Center)
• How it Works
• Requirements

Choose Your Path

There are two ways to deploy AlphaSense to Office, depending on your organization's needs.

Path 1: Individual Setup (Local Registration)

Best for individual users, small teams, or evaluation/trial use.

• The user downloads and runs the AlphaSense App Manager installer.
• The installer registers the add-in directly with Office on that machine.
• No IT involvement or admin privileges required.
• The user manages their own updates through App Manager.

Path 2: Centralized Deployment (Microsoft 365 Admin Center)

Best for organizations that want IT-managed deployment with centralized control.

• An IT admin deploys the add-in manifest through Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Office automatically makes AlphaSense available to assigned users.
• Users still need AlphaSense App Manager running locally for the AI backend services.
• IT can distribute App Manager via Intune, SCCM, or direct download.

How It Works (Both Paths)

Regardless of deployment path, AlphaSense in Office has two components:

Office Add-in (PowerPoint)
|- Loads the AlphaSense taskpane UI from a hosted web origin
|- Provides the chat interface, slide editing, research tools
|
AlphaSense App Manager (runs locally)
|- Python backend for AI processing and slide manipulation
|- Service discovery so the add-in can find the local backends

The deployment path only affects how the add-in gets registered with Office. The App Manager and its local services are identical in both paths.

Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10 or later
• Office: Microsoft 365 desktop apps (PowerPoint and Excel)
• Internet: Required for initial setup and frontend loading
• Disk Space: Approximately 500 MB for App Manager and backend components
• macOS: Not yet supported. Mac support is planned for a future release.