How to Download and Install Infor Lawson Add Ins for Microsoft Office

Infor Lawson's add-ins for Microsoft Office extend what you can do with Lawson data directly inside Excel and Word — pulling reports, refreshing live data, running queries — without logging into the web application every time. The installation process is a bit more involved than a typical software install, but once it's working you'll wonder how you managed without it. Here's a clear walkthrough.

What the Lawson add-ins actually do

Before getting into the steps, it's worth knowing what you're installing. The Lawson Office Add-ins connect Microsoft Office applications to your Lawson environment, letting you pull data directly into Excel spreadsheets or Word documents. You can refresh that data on demand, run Smart Office queries, and work with Lawson reports in a familiar environment. For anyone who regularly exports data from Lawson and massages it in Excel, this saves a significant amount of time. HRIS platforms like Lawson are built to store and manage HR and financial data — the add-ins are what let that data flow naturally into the tools people already work in every day.

Prerequisites before you start

There are a few things to confirm before downloading anything. First, check that your version of Microsoft Office is compatible with the add-in version your organization is using. Lawson add-ins are version-specific — an add-in built for one Lawson release may not work with a different one, and Office version compatibility also varies. Your Lawson administrator or IT team should be able to tell you which add-in version you need.

Second, you'll need appropriate permissions. Depending on your organization's setup, downloading from the Lawson environment or running the installer may require local administrator rights on your machine. If you're on a managed corporate device, you may need to involve your IT department.

Third, close all Office applications before installing. The installer will tell you to do this anyway, but closing them beforehand avoids any complications with the installation registering correctly.

Downloading the add-in from your Lawson environment

The Lawson Office Add-ins are typically distributed through your organization's Lawson server rather than a public download site. This is intentional — the add-in needs to match your specific Lawson version and environment.

To find the download, log into your Lawson Smart Office or the Lawson web environment. Navigate to the administration or help section — the exact location varies by version, but common paths include a "Downloads" or "Client Tools" section accessible from the main menu or from within Smart Office itself. Some organizations publish the installer link directly in an internal IT portal or intranet.

If you can't locate the download, contact your Lawson system administrator. They can provide the correct installer file or a direct link to where it's hosted on your organization's Lawson server. Don't download Lawson add-ins from third-party sites — version mismatches and potential security issues make this a bad idea.

Running the installer

Once you have the installer file (typically an executable or an MSI), run it as an administrator. Right-click the file and choose "Run as administrator" even if you're logged in with admin rights — this avoids permission issues during the registration step that writes to the Office add-ins registry.

The installer will walk you through a standard setup wizard. Accept the license agreement, choose your installation directory (the default is fine for most users), and let the installer run. It will install the add-in files and register them with your Office installation.

If the installer asks for a server address or connection URL during setup, you'll need your Lawson server URL — the same one you use to access the Lawson web interface. Your IT team or the welcome documentation from your Lawson implementation will have this. Configuring reporting tools in enterprise HR systems almost always requires knowing your server endpoints upfront — Lawson add-ins are no different.

Activating the add-in in Excel or Word

After installation, open Excel or Word. If the add-in installed successfully, you should see a new "Lawson" tab or menu item in the ribbon. If it doesn't appear immediately, the add-in may need to be activated manually.

To activate it in Excel: go to File → Options → Add-ins. At the bottom of the screen, make sure "COM Add-ins" is selected in the Manage dropdown, then click Go. Look for the Lawson add-in in the list. If it's there but unchecked, check the box and click OK. If it's listed as inactive or in the "Disabled Application Add-ins" section, select it and enable it.

In Word the process is the same: File → Options → Add-ins → COM Add-ins → Go. The Lawson add-in should appear there as well if the installer registered it for both applications.

Once enabled, the Lawson tab in the ribbon gives you access to functions like connecting to your Lawson environment, running drill-arounds, and refreshing data in your spreadsheet. Automating payroll and HR data processes often starts exactly here — once people can pull live Lawson data into Excel, they start building the automated workflows that replace hours of manual exports.

Connecting the add-in to your Lawson environment

The first time you use the add-in, you'll need to configure the connection to your Lawson server. Click the Lawson tab in the ribbon and look for a "Settings" or "Connect" option. You'll enter your Lawson server URL and your credentials — the same username and password you use to log into Lawson normally.

Some environments use single sign-on (SSO), in which case the authentication may happen automatically once you're on your corporate network or VPN. If your organization uses SSO, the add-in may prompt you to authenticate through your organization's identity provider rather than entering Lawson credentials directly. Enterprise software integrations in HR tech increasingly rely on SSO for security and convenience — Lawson follows the same pattern in modern deployments.

Troubleshooting common installation issues

A few problems come up frequently with Lawson add-in installations. If the add-in doesn't appear after installation, try repairing the Office installation (via Control Panel → Programs → Microsoft Office → Change → Repair), then reinstalling the Lawson add-in. Sometimes the repair resets add-in registrations.

If you see an error about an incompatible version, confirm with your admin that you have the right installer for your specific Lawson version. Lawson add-ins are not backward compatible across major versions.

If the add-in loads but can't connect to the server, check that you're on the correct network — some Lawson environments are only accessible within the corporate network or through VPN. Also verify that the server URL is correct and includes the right port if your environment uses a non-standard one.

If Excel marks the add-in as disabled because it caused a crash previously (this sometimes happens if you had an incompatible version installed before), go to File → Options → Add-ins → Disabled Items in the Manage dropdown and re-enable it from there. Enterprise software integration issues like this one are almost always fixable with the right diagnostic steps — the key is knowing which layer of the stack the problem is at.

After the add-in is working

Once the connection is confirmed, you can start pulling Lawson data directly into Excel. The drill-around feature lets you navigate Lawson data relationships the same way you would in the application, with results landing in your spreadsheet. Report outputs can be refreshed on demand, and you can set up spreadsheets that serve as live reporting tools for colleagues who don't need to log into Lawson directly.

For teams that run regular HR, payroll, or financial reports out of Lawson, this changes the workflow considerably. What used to require logging in, running a report, exporting, and importing into Excel becomes a single refresh in a spreadsheet that's already formatted the way you need it. Data integration between HR systems and reporting tools is most valuable when the friction is low enough that people actually use it — the Lawson Office Add-in, once installed correctly, does exactly that.

The installation itself is a one-time effort. Get the right version, run it with administrator permissions, activate it in Office, and configure the connection. After that, the add-in just works — and it tends to get used a lot once people see what it can do.

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