Deploying a Revit add-in to every machine

Where Revit looks

Each version of Revit reads add-in manifests, small .addin files, from two folders:

• For one user: %AppData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\<version>
• For everyone on the machine: %ProgramData%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\<version>

Some add-ins come as a bundle in an ApplicationPlugins folder instead, with the same split. Autodesk documents the folders for each release, so check the one for the version you're deploying.

When one person has an old version

If a manifest with the same name is in both folders, Revit ignores the all-users one. That's the usual reason someone is still on an old version after a firm-wide update: they once installed it themselves. Remove the copy from their AppData and restart Revit.

Pushing it out

• Use the vendor's per-machine installer if there is one. It writes to the all-users folder, so it needs admin rights, which your deployment tool already has.
• Push it with what you use for everything else: Intune, Configuration Manager or Group Policy.
• Revit loads add-ins when it starts, so people get an update the next time they open it.
• Try it on one machine with every Revit version you support before it goes everywhere.

What to ask first

• Does it make network calls, and what does it send?
• What does it change in the model, and can that be undone?
• What happens with closed worksets, unloaded links and elements someone else is editing?
• Can an administrator set its settings once for the machine, and switch it off for everyone?
• Does it load third-party libraries into Revit? They can conflict with other add-ins.