How to hide an Excel add-in ribbon button from certain users

Question

For an Excel add-in that is deployed to users via the 365 admin center, is there any way to control if those users will see the add-in ribbon button, or if there is a way the users can hide the add-in ribbon button? The Excel add-in is to these users in both the web version and the Windows desktop version so I would need to hide the add-in ribbon button in both versions.

The Excel add-in is deployed to a group of users, but not all the users in the group will need to use the add-in all the time so I'm wondering if there is some way to have the users hide the add-in ribbon button?

Ideally if there is some way to hide the add-in for the users that would be the best option so they don't have to worry about hiding the add-in. Alternatively if there is also some the user can hide the add-in ribbon button this would also work.

Answer 1

To hide an Excel add-in ribbon button from certain users, you can utilize the centralized deployment feature in the Microsoft 365 admin center. This allows you to control the visibility of the add-in based on user assignments. Here are the options you have:

1. Turn Off the Add-in for Specific Users: As an admin, you can turn off the add-in for specific users or groups. When the add-in is turned off, it will not appear in the ribbon for those users. This can be done through the admin center by changing the state of the add-in from "Active" to "Turned off" for the specific users.
2. Manage Add-in Visibility: If you want to manage which users see the add-in, you can assign the add-in to specific users or groups. Users who are not assigned the add-in will not see it in their ribbon.
3. User Control: Unfortunately, there is no built-in feature that allows users to hide the ribbon button themselves if the add-in is deployed to them. The visibility is controlled by the admin settings.

In summary, the best approach is to manage the deployment and visibility of the add-in through the admin center to ensure that only the necessary users have access to it.

---

References:

• Manage add-ins in the Microsoft 365 admin center
• Determine if centralized deployment of Office Add-ins works for your organization

Answer 2

Hi @Nicholas Palmer 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.        

It appears you’re asking if there’s a way to hide the Excel add-in ribbon button for users when the add-in is deployed via the Microsoft 365 admin center. 

Currently, there isn’t a built-in option for users to hide only the add-in button while keeping the add-in active. However, here are the available options you can try: 

1/ Admin control 

• You can manage visibility by turning the add-in on or off for specific users or groups in the Microsoft 365 admin center. When turned off, the add-in and its ribbon button will no longer appear in Excel (desktop and web). Learn more about Centralized Deployment. 

For detailed steps, please refer to the following links: 

• Deploy add-ins in the admin center 
• Determine if centralized deployment of Office Add-ins works for your organization 

2/ Developer control 

• If you own the add-in, you can use the Office Add-in Ribbon API to conditionally hide or disable the ribbon button based on context. 

3/ User options  

• Users can hide the entire ribbon or customize it in Excel desktop, but this does not apply to Excel on the web. 
• Go to File > Choose Options  

• Select Customize Ribbon > Choose Add-ins > Click on Remove 
• Scroll down and uncheck Add-ins 
• Click on OK button 

Note: We appreciate your understanding regarding the scope of support available through this forum. As moderators, our role is to provide general guidance and assist with common troubleshooting steps. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues but we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.   

I hope the information provided proves useful. Please proceed with the outlined steps and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If not, I’ll be glad to continue working with you to find a solution. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out at any time. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

 

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.