VSTO Excel Add-In with Visual Studio Express

calendar_today Asked Apr 27, 2012
thumb_up 8 upvotes
history Updated April 16, 2026

Question posted 2012 · +4 upvotes

I want to create an add-in (a ribbon precisely) for MS Excel by using Visual Studio C# 2010 Express. I have searched and read about it here and here and somewhere else. However, when I want to create a new project I don’t see any template as described, I don’t see even the Office tab. Is it because I am using the Express edition? I think it shouldn’t be. Because in this official comparison they say all editions are capable of office development.

What can I do to develop this add-in?

Accepted answer +8 upvotes

According to this post on the MSDN forum, Visual Studio Tools for Office are not available in the Express edition. I’m not sure where you’re reading that on the comparison page (a quick glance said nothing about the Express edition).

Top excel Q&A (6)

+8 upvotes ranks this answer #106 out of 167 excel solutions on this site .