How to: Install Office primary interop assemblies
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
Install the Microsoft Office primary interop assemblies (PIAs) when you install Office.
Note
Interested in developing solutions that extend the Office experience across multiple platforms? Check out the new Office Add-ins model. Office Add-ins have a small footprint compared to VSTO Add-ins and solutions, and you can build them by using almost any web programming technology, such as HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, and XML.
Prerequisite
Ensure that you have a version of the .NET Framework that is no older than 2.0.
To install the PIAs when you install Office
Install Microsoft Office.
Warning
By default, PIA's are embedded in your solution when you build it so you don't have to distribute PIAs to users as a prerequisite to using your VSTO Add-in or customization.
See also
- Office primary interop assemblies
- How to: Target Office applications through primary interop assemblies
- How to: Configure a computer to develop Office solutions
- How to: Install the Visual Studio Tools for Office runtime redistributable
- Office solutions development overview (VSTO)
- Get started (Office development in Visual Studio)