Generate the Manifest File

To install Strategy for Office in Office 365 or Office for Windows, you first need to generate a manifest file using Strategy Workstation. You can also generate the manifest file on Strategy Web.

Starting in Strategy One (December 2025), you can further customize your add-in display using custom branding.

Starting in Strategy One (January 2026), you can configure the Excel add-in to automatically log in.

Generate on Workstation

You must have a Strategy environment in Workstation. For steps, see Introduction to Environments in the Workstation Help.

In Workstation, click the Environments tab.
Right-click the environment you want to use > Properties.
Go to the Add-ins tab.
Expand the Microsoft for Office, Excel Add-in drop-down
Customize the add-in and if necessary, add additional domains.
What can I customize?
Add-in titles
- Ribbon Button: Type a title that displays under the icon at the top of the Excel window.
- Task Pane: Type a title that displays in the right panel.
Get Started Popup
- Get Started Title: Type a title that displays when the add-in is opened for the first time.
- Get Started Message: Type a description that displays under the title when the add-in is opened for the first time.
Additional Domains: Enter a URL, if needed. Click Add a URL to add additional URLs.
Hidden Objects: Toggle on Show Hidden Objects to display objects hidden in Strategy in the Excel add-in.
Add-in Customization
- Enable add-in customization: Toggle on this option to add custom branding to your add-in.
- Logo Image URL: Enter an image URL for a logo that displays at the top of the Excel window and in the right panel.
  Strategy suggests you use 256 x 256 px dimensions.
- Login Page Image URL: Enter an image URL for the login page that displays before user authentication.
  Strategy suggests you use 160 x 160 px dimensions.
- Company Name: Type the name that displays under the image.
- Displayed Menu Option: Toggle on the following options you want to display when a user clicks More Items at the top of the Excel window:
  - Overview: An overview of their imported data displays.
  - Clear Data: All Strategy data is cleared from the workbook.
  - Settings: A variety of add-in settings display including import, prompt, object information, and more.
    If you toggle off this option, you need to define default settings in Default Add-in Settings.
  - Privacy Policy: A linked privacy policy displays.
    If you toggle on this option, enter the link in Privacy Policy URL.
  - Terms of Use: A linked terms of use displays.
    If you toggle on this option, enter the link in Terms of Use URL.
  - Help URL: A linked help page displays.
    If you toggle on this option, enter the link in Help URL.
  - Contact Us: A new email to the defined contact displays.
    If you toggle on this option, enter the email address in Contact Us Email Address.
  - Version Information: Information about your the Strategy version displays.
Click Generate Microsoft Office Excel Add-in File
Save the manifest file on your hard drive.

Generate on Web

Go to the Projects page.
In the top right corner, click Explore Strategy. A new page opens.
Click the Get the Add-in button.
If no library environment is connected, provide the Library environment to download the add-in and click Continue.

If more than one Library environment are connected, select one environment to download the add-in and click Continue.

If you are using Library with SAML authentication, modify the manifest file and enter the redirection URL in the AppDomain element.

For more information, along with an example, see Microsoft Documentation: Specify domains you want to open in the add-in window

Now that you have generated the manifest file, see Deploy the Strategy for Office Add-in or Install Manually.

Enable Automatic Log In and Automatically Refresh Imported Objects

If you are moving from the legacy Excel add-in to the new Excel add-in, Microsoft designed the framework for the current generation add-ins in a way that makes it impossible for VBA macros to interact with the add-in. This makes it impossible to continue using the same automated VBA-based workflow to perform operations within the new add-in.

Starting in Strategy One (January 2026), you can configure the Excel add-in to log in and refresh imported objects in Excel desktop automatically. To create the automation:

The new Excel add-in is accessed by clicking the manifest button in the top navigation of Excel. All steps up to and including this point can continue to be executed using automation scripts.
When a user opens the Excel add-in, they are required to click Log In. To configure the add-in so users do not need to click Log In, modify the manifest .xml file used to access the add-in.

Add &autoLogin=true to the end of the URL in the <bt:Url id="MSTR.Taskpane.Url" DefaultValue=.../> element.

For example, the edited element should look similar to the following:
Copy
```
<bt:Url id="MSTR.Taskpane.Url" DefaultValue="https://example-environment.microstrategy.com/MicroStrategyLibrary/static/loader-mstr-office/index.html?showHidden=false&amp;autoLogin=true" />
```
The value of the showHidden property present in the URL depends on your choices while generating the manifest file and therefore may be different.
Open the Excel add-in and the authentication page automatically displays.
If users have an active session (for example with their SSO provider or Library), they will be automatically logged into the plugin and the authentication window will close.
If the Excel plugin setting Auto Refresh in Data Refresh is enabled, all imported objects will be refreshed immediately after opening the add-in if the set time interval has elapsed since the previous auto-refresh was triggered. For more information on this setting, see Data Refresh Settings.

All modified manifest files need to be redeployed. If you do not have access to your manifest file, contact your administrator.