published aug 4, 2026
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In this guide, you will learn how to use Claude directly in Microsoft Word to redline legal documents before you sign or send them.
You will build a first-pass contract review workflow inside Word. Claude will surface suggested edits as tracked changes, you or a teammate will make the final calls, and Doc Check will give the near-final document one more pass.
This is a first-pass review workflow, not legal advice. Keep a qualified legal reviewer in the loop whenever the document or decision calls for one.
After reviewing a few documents, open Claude chat’s three-dot menu and download the transcripts. Save a few real review transcripts in a Claude Project, then ask Claude to turn the common process into a reusable skill your teammates can use.
That gives your team a starting point that reflects how you actually review agreements. If your teammates are on the same Claude plan, share the skill with them. Otherwise, download the skill file and send it over so they can add it to Claude themselves.
Open the Claude for Microsoft 365 Marketplace listing (https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA200010725?tab=Overview), click Get it now, and sign in. Microsoft will ask for permission to let Claude work in Word. Approve the add-in, then choose Open in Word.
Word will open the add-in and ask you to sign in with Claude. For most people, choose Log in. If your company uses a provider or has locked down add-ins, ask the Microsoft 365 admin who manages your Word setup to help with the connection.
Once you are connected, you should see Claude in the top-right of Word. You can work with a DOCX directly. If your document is a PDF, open it with Word first so you can review and edit the converted document there.
Open the contract you want to review in Word. Then ask Claude:
Do a first read of this contract and redline anything that needs attention or clarification.Claude may ask who you represent or offer a neutral read. Give it the lens you want it to use, then choose Tracked changes before it starts applying edits.
Pro tip: Ask Claude to use tracked changes so you can review its edits just like you would a human’s work.
Claude will return issue cards and suggested edits in the sidebar. Open the reasoning on a card when you want to see why it made the recommendation, then use Apply all only when you are comfortable with the suggestions.
If Claude cannot redline a document with bookmarks, remove those bookmarks or have it return the recommended edits in the chat instead. That is a limitation worth checking before you rely on the workflow for an important document.
Now you can review Claude’s recommendations and accept or reject them. Open Word’s Review tab to move through the tracked changes one at a time.
This is the step where you keep the judgment. You can revise a suggestion, tell Claude what you want changed instead, or send the document to a teammate so they can review the same tracked changes in context.
Claude applying an edit in its sidebar does not automatically finalize it in Word. Use the Word review controls to accept or reject each redline before treating the document as ready.
When you think you’re ready to sign or send a document, type / in Claude and run the Doc Check skill.
Doc Check makes a final pass and may surface new items that need attention. Review those findings the same way you reviewed the earlier redlines. The goal is a cleaner document and better questions for the right reviewer—not a substitute for legal approval.
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