Install ProofBrief

1. Get a license key

Enter your email below. A 14-day trial key arrives in under a minute.

2. Sideload the manifest in Word

Download the manifest file and follow the steps for your platform. Download proofbrief-manifest.xml

Word on the web (easiest — start here)

Open any document in Word on the web (office.com → New blank document).
On the ribbon, click Home → Add-ins → More Add-ins.
In the Office Add-ins dialog, click the My Add-ins tab.
Click Manage My Add-ins → Upload My Add-in.
Browse to the downloaded proofbrief-manifest.xml and click Upload.
The ProofBrief task pane opens automatically.

Word for Mac (Microsoft 365)

Mac doesn't have an Upload UI — you place the manifest file in Word's sideload folder and Word picks it up.

Open Finder → press Cmd+Shift+G.
Paste this path and press Return:
```
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Documents/wef
```
If Finder says "the folder can't be found", create the wef folder manually inside ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Documents/.
Drag the downloaded proofbrief-manifest.xml into the wef folder.
Open Word (or fully quit and reopen if it's already running).
On the ribbon: Home → Add-ins → select ProofBrief.

Word for Windows (desktop)

Word for Windows doesn't have a single-file "Upload" flow — it requires a one-time trusted folder configuration. If you're trying ProofBrief for the first time, we recommend starting with Word on the web above — your license works on every device, so the trial flow is easier to validate there.

If you do need Windows desktop now, follow Microsoft's Sideload from a network share procedure (set up a shared folder catalog, drop the manifest in, point Trust Center at it). You can also use the web version — the same license key works on every platform.

Once installed, click Scan Citations on the Home tab to open the side pane.

3. Activate

Paste the key from your trial email into the activation pane. Scanning starts immediately.

Already installed ProofBrief for development? The production add-in shares the same identity as the dev build. Before sideloading, fully quit Word (Cmd+Q on Mac), then remove the old manifest:

rm ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Documents/wef/*.manifest.xml

and clear the Word add-in cache:

rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Office/16.0/Wef/AggregatedCache

then re-launch Word and re-sideload.

Multiple devices

Your license is per-user, not per-device. Paste the same key on each device's first launch — Mac, Windows, or web. Each device caches the license locally for 24 hours.

System requirements

Microsoft 365 Word for Mac (16.85+) — full feature set.
Word for Windows (16.85+).
Word on the web — limited Critique API support; cards still appear in the pane without underlines.
Word for Mac perpetual — same as web.

Need help? Read the support page or email [email protected].