Office Settings & Configuration

Fix Mendeley Cite Blocked by Office Add-in Restrictions in Microsoft 365

Tauseeq Magsi Sep 28, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is unable to run the Mendeley Cite add-in in Microsoft 365 because the acquisition and execution of Office Store add-ins are restricted by organizational policies.

How to Fix Mendeley Cite Blocked by Office Add-in Restrictions

Product: Microsoft 365 / Mendeley Cite
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to use the Mendeley Cite tool for referencing and citing academic documents in Microsoft Word.
Observed behavior: Microsoft 365 displays an error stating that Mendeley Cite cannot run because Office add-ins are restricted, preventing users from acquiring or executing Office Store add-ins.

Before you start

Verify whether you are currently signed into Microsoft 365 using a personal account or an institutional account (such as a university or corporate email), as add-in permissions differ heavily between them.

Solution 1Recommended

Request IT Administrator to Enable Office Store Add-ins

The most effective solution is to contact the IT department that manages your university or corporate Microsoft 365 account, as they control the global add-in policies.

If you are using an educational or corporate license, Microsoft 365 administrators often disable the Office Store by default to maintain security. Only the administrator can adjust these settings to allow Mendeley Cite to run.

Identify your IT support contact

Locate the IT helpdesk portal, support email, or technical administration contact for your university or workplace.

Capture the error message

Take a screenshot of the specific error stating that Office Store add-ins are restricted to provide clear context.

Submit a permission request

Send a request to your IT team asking them to enable 'Office Store add-in acquisition and execution' for your account so you can utilize Mendeley Cite for your research.

Request IT Administrator to Enable Office Store Add-ins

For IT Administrators: Administrators can deploy Mendeley Cite centrally or allow user-owned apps by navigating to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Settings > Org settings > User owned apps and services.

Solution 2

Contact Mendeley Support for Alternatives

If your organization absolutely refuses to lift the add-in restrictions, Mendeley Support may be able to provide workarounds or alternative citation methods.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I getting an Office Add-ins restricted error on my personal computer?

Even if you are using a personal device, if you are logged into Microsoft Word using a university or work email account, the organization's IT policies will still apply to the software and can block add-ins like Mendeley Cite.

Can I bypass the administrator restriction to install Mendeley Cite myself?

No, if your Microsoft 365 license is managed by an institution, the permissions are controlled server-side. Only the IT administrator has the authority to change the settings to allow Office Store add-ins.

Does the older Mendeley Desktop plugin still work as a workaround?

The older Mendeley Desktop relies on a different macro-based plugin structure which might bypass the Office Store restriction. However, Mendeley is actively phasing it out in favor of Mendeley Cite, so it may lack support or compatibility with the newest versions of Word.

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