Integrating Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is a suite of software applications developed by Microsoft, designed for creating, editing, and managing documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. It is widely used for personal, educational, and business purposes due to its versatility and user-friendly interface. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint provide powerful features for document creation, data analysis, and presentation design, respectively, making them essential tools for enhancing productivity and collaboration across devices and platforms.

Sign Office Files with MS Office Using AppViewX CSP

Digital signatures in Microsoft Office documents ensure the authenticity and integrity of files. By applying a digital signature, the document is encrypted with a unique digital certificate that verifies the signer’s identity and confirms that the content has not been altered since it was signed. This process enhances security by preventing unauthorized modifications and allows recipients to trust that the document is genuine. Digital signatures in Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are essential for maintaining data integrity, particularly in business and legal contexts.

Prerequisites:

  1. Execute the AppViewX SIGN+ installer to set up the prerequisites for using AppViewX CSP.
  2. Ensure that Microsoft Office Desktop version is installed.

Sign MS Office files

  1. Open the document to be signed in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
  2. Click on File in the selected application.
  3. On the File tab, click Info and then
    • Microsoft Word
      Click Protect Document -> Add a Digital Signature.
    • Microsoft Excel

      Click Protect Workbook -> Add a Digital Signature.

    • Microsoft PowerPoint

      Click Protect Presentation -> Add a Digital Signature.

  4. In the Sign window, select the commitment type that best represents the signer’s role from the Commitment Type drop-down list.
    • None
    • Created and approved this document
    • Approved this document
    • Created this document
  5. In the Purpose for signing this document box, enter the reason for signing.
  6. To provide signer information, click Details. In the Additional Signing Information window, enter the necessary details and click OK.
  7. Next, click Change in the Sign window.
  8. In the Windows Security window, select the signing certificate (that was selected while downloading the SIGN+ Package) and click OK.
  9. In the Sign window, click Sign.
    Note: SHA256 is the default hashing algorithm.
  10. In the Signature Confirmation window, read the message and click OK.
  11. The document is marked as final, and a small ribbon icon appears at the bottom of the document window, indicating it has been signed. If any edits are made, the signature will be removed and must be resigned.
  12. To view signer information, click File -> Info -> View Signatures.

Troubleshoot Signing Errors

Error Encountered While Signing

Error Message:

MS Office Stopped responding.

Problem:

This error message occurs due to various reasons like error while establishing connection to the server, authentication error and other validation messages.

Solution:

For more information on the error message, refer to AppViewX_CSP_<Day>.log file in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp path.