EndNote X7 and X8 CWYW and MS Word 2016 for Mac: Compatibility and Recommendations

EndNote 21 is now available: Buy EndNote 21 today

Please also see:

01-09-2016: Attention: EndNote X7.7 for Windows and Mac has been released

This release contains:

  • Online Search, Find Full Text and Find Reference Update with PubMed via Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
  • Using short form, include the title field only when needed to disambiguate a citation
  • Cite While You Write improvements, including track changes and format multiple citations via EndNote online
  • Importing PDFs

 

24-08-2016: Attention: EndNote X7.6 for Mac has been released

This release contains:

  • 64-bit version of Cite While You Write for Microsoft Word 2016.
  • Compatibility with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC after updating Microsoft Word 2016 to version 15.24.

Buy the new EndNote X7.6 for Mac Full or the EndNote X7.6 for Mac Upgrade (requires a X5 or X6 license) or if you are a student the full EndNote X7.6 for Mac Student edition.

If you already have an existing X7 license, follow the instructions below to obtain the latest release:

Get the latest update to X7, featuring a fully 64-bit version of Cite While You Write for Microsoft® Word 2016. EndNote X7 can automatically update, but if you need to manually update, you can follow these steps:

Mac OS X - It is recommended that you use Program Updates.

  1. Close all programs and turn off any background software, such as virus protection software.
  2. From within EndNote, click on the 'EndNote X7' Menu and choose 'Check for Updates' then follow the on-screen prompts.
  3. Once the process is done, click on the 'EndNote X7' Menu and choose 'Check for Updates' to see if there are any more updates to run.

Check your current version:

  1. Open EndNote.
  2. Click on the 'EndNote X7' Menu and choose 'About EndNote'
  3. If this reads EndNote X7.6 (Bld 11666), you have the latest version of EndNote installed.

07-07-2016: Attention: X7 Mac and Word Insiders version 15.25.0 compatibility

Microsoft released version 15.25.0 of Office 2016 to their Mac Insider Fast channel. Version 15.25.0 of Word 2016 is fully 64-bit.

EndNote X7 Mac users who upgrade to version 15.25.0 of Word 2016 will find that this release impacts the Cite While You Write plug in, resulting in a Word dialog that reads:
"Word was unable to load an add-in
Your add-in isn’t compatible with this version of Word. Please contact the add-in provider for an update. (EndNote CWYW Word 2016.bundle)"

For now there is a beta plug in available for users with Word 2016 version 15.25.0.
The 64-bit X7 Mac Cite While You Write beta plug is available trough the beta signup: endnote.com/betasignup
Please note that you can use the Thomson Reuters Community Forums if you are experiencing any issues with this beta plug in.

 

24-05-2016: Update Word 2016 to version 15.22.1

Mac OS X 10.11 and Mac OS X 10.10: Microsoft has addressed the issues below with an update, so when you update Word 2016 to version 15.22.1 that will resolve these issues.
To update Word, go to the help menu in Word and choose 'Check for updates' and follow the prompts.

  • EndNote X7 Mac: COM Exception with Word 2016 version 15.22

    Users with Word 2016 who have updated to version 15.22 will receive the following message when trying to use the EndNote X7 Cite While You Write commands:
    A COM Exception has occurred. One of the values passed to this method or property is out of range.
     
  • Users of EndNote X7.5.1.1 or X7.5.3. and Word 2016 15.21.1 or 15.22 on Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) may get "error -600" using CWYW.
     

12-05-2016: EndNote X7 Mac: COM Exception with Word 2016 version 15.22

Users with Word 2016 who have updated to version 15.22 will receive the following message when trying to use the EndNote X7 Cite While You Write commands: A COM Exception has occurred. One of the values passed to this method or property is out of range.

Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan): The current workaround is to downgrade Word to version 15.21.1. To roll back to a previous version, place the Microsoft Word found the Applications folder in the trash and download and run the Word 2016 15.21.1 installer from here:
http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/OfficeMac/Microsoft_Word_15.21.1_160411_Updater.pkg

MAC OS 10.10 (Yosemite): The current workaround is to downgrade Word to version 15.20. To roll back to a previous version, place the Microsoft Word found the Applications folder in the trash and download and run the Word 2016 15.20 installer from here:
http://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/OfficeMac/Microsoft_Word_15.20.0_160315_Updater.pkg

 

02-05-2016: EndNote X7.5.3 for Mac released

18-02-2016: EndNote X7.5.1.1 Mac released

[Please mind. If somehow your word cannot be opened or crashes while opening (because you have played around with preferences files of MS Word and/or EndNote): Hold down the [Shift]  key while starting MS Word to open it in save mode to fix it.]

  1. Update EndNote X7 to X7.5.1.1 (Build 11914).  In EndNote, click on the EndNote menu and select 'About EndNote X7.x'. Update: In EndNote, click on the EndNote menu and select 'Check for updates...'.
  2. Make sure you have updated MS Word 365 / 2016 to the latest edition  15.19.1 (In Word, click on the Word menu and select 'About Word'). Under 'Help' you will see the 'Update' menu item. If the MS Word Auto Update is not able to locate latest version for some reason, you can update manually via https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3134241.
  3. If you have updated your EndNote to X7.5.1.1 and your MS Word to for Mac to version 15.19.1, then please see FAQ of Thomson:

    http://endnote.com/kb/138936

    Especially the section below (part of above FAQ item):

    1. Important: Backup first, create a compressed backup of the library [File - Compressed library (.enlx) ...].
    2. Quit EndNote and Word.
    3. Hold down the "option" key on your keyboard and go to the "Go" Menu and choose "Library" then open the "Preferences" folder.
    4. Remove the "com.ThomsonResearchSoft.EndNote.plist" file.
    5. Browse to is the "[Hard Drive Name] : Library : Application Support : Microsoft : Office365 : User Content : Startup : Word" folder.
    6. Delete the "EndNote CWYW Word 2016.bundle" file.
    7. Launch EndNote X7.
    8. Run the Customizer to install the Cite While You Write tools. [With EndNote online, run the CWYW_Installer in the Cite While You Write folder in applications].

If the EndNote CWYW add-in toolbar/ribbon still does not appear in MS Word 365 / MS Word 2016, please check the 'User Templates' file location. Especially, if you have used MS Word 2011 on the same machine and now switched to MS Word 2016, the 'User Templates' folder could point to an old location:

Change from:

Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates

~\Library\Application Support\Microsoft\Office\User Templates

Change to:

Users/[username]/Library/Group Containers > UBF8Y34639G.office > User Content > Templates

~\Library\Group Containers\UBF8T346G9.Office\User Content\Templates

Please make sure you have the 'User Templates' folder defined correctly in MS Word 2016 preferences.

  1. Start Word, go to 'Word > Preferences'
  2. Click on 'File Locations'.
  3. Select 'User Templates' and click 'Modify'.
    Point to the 'Users/[username]/Library/Group Containers > UBF8Y34639G.office > User Content > Templates' folder.

03-02-2016: EndNote X7.5 Mac released

This release contains features, critical updates, optimizations and other improvements for:

- Cite While You Write for Microsoft Word 2016
- Compatibility with OS X El Capitan®
- Sync
- Restored Direct Export functionality for OS X Snow Leopard®

Installing EndNote X7.5 for Mac:

Follow the popup screen instructions after starting EndNote X7 Mac or choose 'Check for Updates' in EndNote X7, under the 'EndNote' menu.

22-01-2016: Thank you very much for all of your great comments on the EndNote X7.5 Word for Mac beta! Your feedback has made a real impact on our development, and has helped make this version of EndNote a better product for all EndNote users. New bug reporting for the X7.5 release is now closed. Stay tuned! The EndNote X7.5 release is getting close- we will let you know the exact date soon! Sincerely, The EndNote Team

23-12-2015: Attention EndNote X7 Mac users! The EndNote Team has released a new version of the Beta for EndNote X7 CWYW for Mac, now with MS Word Ribbon integration! Go to endnote.com/betasignup to download the new version and let us know what you find. The EndNote Team

20-11-2015: Attention EndNote X7 Mac users! Testing on Beta builds of Cite While You Write for Word 2016 for Mac will begin on Monday, November 30th 2015. All users who have signed up via http://bit.ly/1P51se9 will receive an email with instructions at that time. We look forward to your input!

Cite While You Write is not currently compatible with Office 2016 on Macintosh.

Thomson Reuters is actively developing a patch for EndNote X7 to fix this compatibility issue. Thomson Reuters anticipates this free update to X7 to be ready by the Fall. Thomson Reuters understands EndNote's importance in completing your work and apologize for any inconvenience caused. To support Mac workflows as we develop the patch, Thomson Reuters has the following recommendations to help Microsoft Office 365 users continue to create formatted citations and bibliographies in Microsoft Word.

It is possible to have both Office 2011 and Office 2016 on the same computer. If you want or need to install Office 2016, the recommendations outlined below will enable your continued use of EndNote to create formatted citations and bibliographies in your Word documents.

Recommendations for Mac users with Microsoft Word 2016 or those considering upgrading to Microsoft Word 2016 for Mac


If you are using Office 2016 through an Office 365 Home Premium subscription:

  • Do not uninstall Office 2011 before installing Office 2016.
  • After installing Office 2016 the Office 2011 icons will be removed from the Dock but the applications will still be available in the Applications/Office 2011 folder. You can drag these icons to the Dock if you want to easily access Office 2011 as well as Office 2016.
  • You can insert temporary citations into an Office 2016 document from EndNote by highlighting the citations in EndNote and pressing Command-C to copy, then place your cursor in the Word 2016 document at the location you want to paste the citations and pressing Command-V to paste. You can also drag-and-drop the citations. When you are ready to format the citations, close the document in Office 2016 and open it in Office 2011, where the EndNote commands are available. You can then format the document as usual. The citations and bibliography should be converted to unformatted citations if the document will be edited again in Office 2016. Please note that Cite While You Write requires you to save Word documents on your computer. Working with documents stored only online is not supported.
  • If you have uninstalled Office 2011 before installing Office 2016 and have a copy of your original Office 2011 installer, you can reinstall Office 2011 using that installer. You will need to run the Customizer (EndNote>Customizer) in EndNote to install CWYW for Office 2011 after reinstalling.
  • If you have uninstalled Office 2011 before installing Office 2016 and do not have a copy of your original Office 2011 installer, you can re-download the installer.
  1. In your browser, log into your Microsoft account.
  2. Click on your name in the toolbar and select Account Settings.
  3. Click Services and Subscriptions.
  4. Click Office 365 Settings.
  5. Click the red Install button.
  6. Click Install previous version next to the red Install button.
  7. Pick your language option from the drop-down list and click the red Install button to download Office 2011 and install it.
  8. You will need to run the Customizer (EndNote>Customizer) in EndNote to install CWYW for Office 2011 after reinstalling.

 

If you are using Office 2016 through an Office 365 Business edition subscription:

  • Do not uninstall Office 2011 before installing Office 2016.
  • After installing Office 2016 the Office 2011 icons will be removed from the Dock but the applications will still be available in the Applications/Office 2011 folder. You can drag these icons to the Dock if you want to easily access Office 2011 as well as Office 2016.
  • You can insert temporary citations into an Office 2016 document from EndNote by highlighting the citations in EndNote and pressing Command-C to copy, then place your cursor in the Word 2016 document at the location you want to paste the citations and pressing Command-V to paste. When you are ready to format the citations, close the document in Office 2016 and open it in Office 2011, where the EndNote commands are available. You can then format the document as usual. The citations and bibliography should be converted to unformatted citations if the document will be edited again in Office 2016. Please note that Cite While You Write requires you to save Word documents on your computer. Working with documents stored only online is not supported.
  • If you have uninstalled Office 2011 before installing Office 2016 and have a copy of your original Office 2011 installer, you can reinstall Office 2011 using that installer. You will need to run the Customizer (EndNote>Customizer) in EndNote to install CWYW for Office 2011 after reinstalling.
  • If you have uninstalled Office 2011 before installing Office 2016 and do not have a copy of your original Office 2011 installer, Microsoft does not currently provide a link in Office 365 to download a previous version of Office. It is still possible to insert EndNote temporary citations into a Word document, then save a copy of that document as a Rich Text Format (RTF) document, and use EndNote’s Tools>Format Paper command to create a second paper with formatted citations and bibliography. Please see this article for instructions on using Format Paper.

 

If you have never installed Office 2016 and have an Office 365 Home Premium subscription:

  • To install Office 2011 as well as Office 2016, after installing Office 2016, follow the steps below.
    1. In your browser, log into your Microsoft account. 
    2. Click on your name in the toolbar and select Account Settings.
    3. Click Services and Subscriptions.
    4. Click Office 365 Settings.
    5. Click the red Install button.
    6. Click Install previous version next to the red Install button.
    7. Pick your language option from the drop-down list and click the red Install button to download Office 2011 and install it.
    8. You will need to run the Customizer (EndNote>Customizer) in EndNote to install CWYW for Office 2011 after reinstalling.
  • You can insert temporary citations into an Office 2016 document from EndNote by highlighting the citations in EndNote and pressing Command-C to copy, then place your cursor in the Word 2016 document at the location you want to paste the citations and pressing Command-V to paste. You can also drag-and-drop the citations. When you are ready to format the citations, close the document in Office 2016 and open it in Office 2011, where the EndNote commands are available. You can then format the document as usual. The citations and bibliography should be converted to unformatted citations if the document will be edited again in Office 2016. Please note that Cite While You Write requires you to save Word documents on your computer. Working with documents stored only online is not supported.
     

If you have never installed Office 2011 and are installing Office 2016 through an Office 365 Business edition subscription:

Microsoft does not currently provide a link in Office 365 to download a previous version of Office. It is still possible to insert EndNote temporary citations into a Word document, then save a copy of that document as a Rich Text Format (RTF) document, and use EndNote’s Tools>Format Paper command to create a second paper with formatted citations and bibliography. Please see this article for instructions on using Format Paper.

FAQ category