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Excel Add-in Intune Deployment

Use Microsoft Intune to quickly and efficiently deploy the Nectari Excel Add-in to multiple workstations across your organization. By deploying the Add-in as a Win32 app through Intune, IT administrators can automate remote installations, updates, and uninstalls—reducing manual effort and ensuring that all users work with the correct version of the Excel Add-in.

This guide will walk you through preparing the Add-in installer, packaging it for Intune, and completing basic prerequisites before deployment.

Prerequisites​

  • Sign in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center with an account that has administrative privileges and an assigned Intune license.
  • Navigate to the Apps section, where you can add and manage applications for your organization.

Prepare the Win32 Intune package​

To package the Excel Add-in for Intune deployment, you must wrap the installer as a .intunewin file using the Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool.

  1. Download the latest Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool.
  2. Place the Excel Add-in installer (Nectari Excel Add-in.exe or SEI Excel Add-in.exe) in a folder on your computer.
  3. Open a Command Prompt and run the Content Prep Tool from that folder.
  4. When prompted:
    • Enter the source folder (the folder containing the Excel Add-in installer).
    • Enter the setup file (e.g., Nectari Excel Add-in.exe).
    • Enter the output folder (can be the same as your source folder).
    • When asked “Do you want to specify catalog folder (Y/N)?”, answer No.
  5. Wait for the process to complete. This can take several minutes.
  6. Use the generated .intunewin file in the next step when uploading to Intune.

Example​

Please specify the source folder: C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\Downloads\Test\
Please specify the setup folder: Nectari Excel Add-in.exe
Please specify the output folder: C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\Downloads\Test\
Do you want to specify catalog folder (Y/N)? No
INFO   Validating parameters
...

Deploy Excel Add-in with Intune (Win32 app)​

Deploying the Nectari Excel Add-in as a Win32 app in Intune allows you to automate large-scale installations, updates, and uninstalls using enterprise-grade deployment and configuration. Win32 app packages support complex installers, scriptable setup parameters, and dependencies that simpler app types cannot handle.

  1. In Microsoft Endpoint Manager, go to Apps, then All Apps and click Add.
  2. For App type, select Windows App (Win32).
  3. Click Select app package file and browse to your prepared .intunewin file.
  4. Click Ok and specify a publisher (for example, Nectari Software Inc.) as required.
  5. Click Next.

Program screen​

  1. Specify the installation and uninstallation commands used by your installer.
    • For a single-tenant deployment, use:
      Powershell.exe -command "Start-Process 'Nectari Excel Add-in.exe' -ArgumentList '-s' -Wait -Verb RunAs"
    • For a multi-tenant deployment, use:
      Powershell.exe -command "Start-Process 'Nectari Excel Add-in.exe' -ArgumentList '-s', 'ApplicationType=MultiTenant', 'WebServerUrl=https://clientAbc.nectari.com' -Wait -Verb RunAs"
  2. In the Uninstall command field, enter:
    Powershell.exe -command "Start-Process 'Nectari Excel Add-in.exe' -ArgumentList '-s', '/uninstall' -Wait -Verb RunAs"
  3. Set the Installation time required to 30 minutes.
  4. Set Allow available uninstall to Yes and Install behavior to System.
  5. For Device restart behavior, choose No specific action.
  6. Select No specific action from the Device restart behavior dropdown list.
  7. Review and select the appropriate return codes for installation status (such as Success, Soft reboot, etc.).
  8. Click Next to continue.

Requirements screen​

  1. Set Operating system architecture to 64-bit.
  2. Set the Minimum OS version to Windows 10 21H2 or higher.
  3. (Optional) Add minimum device requirements—disk space, RAM, or number of cores—if desired.
  4. Click Next.

Detection rules screen​

  1. For Rules format, choose Manually configure detection rules.
  2. Click Add and create a registry detection rule
    • Rule type: Registry
    • Key path: HKLM\Software\Nectari Software Inc.\Excel Add-in or
      HKLM\Software\SEI Software Inc.\Excel Add-in
    • Value name: Version
    • Detection method: Version comparison
    • Operator: Equals
    • Value: Excel Add-in version number (e.g., 24.0.5.10123).
      Right-click the Add-in installer and select Properties to navigate to the Details tab to found the number version.
  3. Select No in Associated with a 32-bit app on 64-bit clients.
  4. Click Ok, then Next.

Dependencies screen​

  1. No additional dependencies are required for Nectari Excel Add-in.
    Click Next to continue. The application can be installed independently without the need for other pre-installed software, making deployment simple and straightforward.

Supersedence screen​

  1. Supersedence is not required for this application—the Excel Add-in installer will automatically replace previous versions. Remind users to close all Excel Add-in windows before upgrading. Click Next.

Assignments screen​

  1. Assign the Nectari Excel Add-in to the specific users or groups who need access. Defining assignment criteria by group or department helps ensure that deployment is targeted and efficient, only installing the Add-in where it’s required.
  2. (Optional) Adjust the following as needed:
    • Mode: Choose whether to include or exclude the selected group.
    • App settings: Select Show all toast notifications for install and uninstall events, or Convert download in background for delivery optimization.
    • App availability: Set when assigned users or groups can access the app.
    • Application deadline: Define a deadline for mandatory installation.
  3. Click Ok to save your change, then click Next.
  4. Review all the information entered and click Create.
note

After creating the Excel Add-in Win32 app in Intune, installation across all devices may take some time depending on your network and company size. Plan your rollout to avoid scheduling during peak hours and allow sufficient time for the deployment to complete.