TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is an Outlook Add-In?
Outlook Add-Ins are utilities that run within Outlook to extend its functionality. In many cases, add-ins act as a bridge between Outlook and a cloud-based service or another program installed on your computer.
Accessing Add-Ins
Most Add-Ins are accessed via the tabs in the ribbon, the top toolbar in Outlook. The tabs are File, Home, Send/Receive, etc. Add-Ins will often create their own tabs, but otherwise they will be accessible via the Add-Ins tab.
Pre-Installed Add-Ins
Covideo
Covideo is an Outlook add-in that allows you to send video emails. In order to use it, you will need a Covideo account. To use the Covideo add-in, click on the Add-Ins tab in the Outlook ribbon.
Login
Click to enter your Covideo username and password. This is required to use the add-in. Note that if you try to use any other function without being logged in, the add-in will prompt you to do so.
Record Covideo
This will open a new window that allows you to record a video message. Click Start to begin recording and click Stop when finished. Once you have finished recording, you can click Preview to view the video you just recorded or Save to save it to your Covideo library. Most importantly, you can click Email to send your video as a message, but be sure to set the Video Title, Template, Template Links, and Icon in the upper right section of the window first. Before sending, you can also check Store in my Vault if you only want to allow the recipient to view the video once, Store in Company to save the video in the company folder, and Notify me when each recipient views video to receive a notification for each unique view the video message gets.
Once you click Email, an email composition window will appear. The message in this window will contain a placeholder for your video. Write the email as normal and then click Send. Please note that to accurately track video views, only use the To: or Cc: fields in your email. The Bcc: field doesn’t accurately track views, so you want to reserve it for copying people like your manager or other coworkers.
My Covideos
Click My Covideos in the Add-Ins tab to view your video library. This will pop up a new window that lists all of your previously recorded videos. To send a video again, click the blue envelope icon next to the video’s entry in the list. In the window that pops up, specify the video parameters, and then click Continue to bring up the email composition window. From there, simply write your email as normal and click Send.
Covideo Reply, Reply All, and Forward
Click any of these options when an email is selected to send a reply or forward along with a video message. The process for this is the same as sending a new video message.
Archive Folder
Click Archive Folder to open the Covideo archive folder on your computer.
Mimecast
The Mimecast add-in allows you to manage your account as well as access certain Mimecast features directly from Outlook. To use it, click the Mimecast tab in the ribbon.
Sign In
To use the Mimecast add-in, you need to be signed in:
- Click the Mimecast tab in the ribbon.
- Click Account Settings.
- In the window that pops up, look for the Domain Authentication section.
- If the Domain Authentication status displays red text reading Missing Password, Invalid Password, or Account Locked, click the Authenticate button and enter your Windows password. You may also need to enter a 6-digit authentication code that you can get from the Microsoft Authenticator app. If the status shows as Active in green, you do not need to do anything.
- Close the window.
Search
Click Search in the ribbon to search your personal Mimecast archive. This usually yields more results than Outlook’s built-in search. You can also access this by typing in the text field labeled Search All Mail, 1 Year that appears above the list of messages in an inbox or folder.
Report Spam & Report Phishing
Click Report Spam when a message is selected to add the sender to your Blocked Senders List and submit the message to Mimecast for spam analysis. You can also click the downward-facing arrow on this button to select Report Phishing, which will do the same thing, but submit the message to Mimecast for Phishing analysis instead.
As a reminder, spam emails are unwanted messages that are usually advertising something, but they’re not asking you for any personal information. Phishing emails are unwanted messages that ask you to submit personal information, and are usually impersonating an individual or institution that you trust.
Block Senders
Click Block Senders when an email is selected to add the sender of the email to your Blocked Senders List. This will not report the message as spam or phishing. Click the downward-facing arrow to choose whether or not to block just this sender’s address or their entire domain.
Managed Senders
Click Managed Senders to view the full list of all blocked senders.
On Hold Messages
Click On Hold Messages to view any messages Mimecast is currently holding for you. Click the downward-facing arrow to choose between Personal and Moderated On Hold. Personal On Hold contains messages you can choose to allow through if you want, while Moderated On Hold contains messages that Mimecast has determined are dangerous; you won’t be able to allow these messages through. Contact the IT department if you have concerns about any Moderated On Hold messages.
Online Inbox
Click to view your Mimecast Online Inbox, which contains all the messages Mimecast has received. Generally, this will match up with your Outlook inbox, but may contain messages you deleted or archived.
Online Sent Items
As with the Online Inbox, Online Sent Items will contain all messages you’ve sent. It may contain messages that are missing from your Outlook Sent Items folder.
Attach Large Files
Use Attach Large Files to send emails with attachments larger than 25MB:
- Click Attach Large Files.
- Choose the file you want to send.
- Fill out the email message as normal.
- Click Send.
This will upload the file to Mimecast’s servers, and then append a download link for your message’s recipient(s) to the message.
Request Large Files
Use Request Large Files to allow others outside the company to transfer files to you.
- Click Request Large Files.
- Fill out the email message as normal.
- Click Send.
This message will contain a set of instructions and a link to allow the recipient to upload the file. Once they have done so, you will receive a message with a link to download it.
Adobe PDF
The Adobe PDF add-in enables you to save messages as PDF files, allowing you to delete messages from Outlook to keep your mailbox size down while still retaining the messages for your records. To access it, click the Adobe PDF tab in the ribbon.
Selected Messages
With a message selected, click Selected Messages and choose either Create New PDF or Append to Existing PDF. The former will save the message as its own PDF file, while the latter will allow you to select a PDF file to append the message to.
Selected Folders
With a folder selected, click Selected Folders and choose either Create New PDF or Append to Existing PDF. The former will save each message in the folder as its own PDF file, while the latter will allow you to select a PDF file to append the messages in the folder to.
Change Conversion Settings
Click Change Conversion Settings to adjust the parameters of the PDF files the add-in creates. You can change a variety of options including page size, layout, and whether or not to save attachments directly into the PDF.
Setup Automatic Archival
Click Setup Automatic Archival to configure the Adobe PDF add-in to automatically convert emails into PDF files. You can specify how frequently you want to convert messages and specify which folders you want archived in this manner. Please note that you would need to leave your computer running and stay logged in with Outlook open for the archival process to work.
Getting More Add-Ins
There are a few more add-ins that are not pre-installed, but are available for you to install from the Office store if needed. To access the Office store, click Get Add-Ins on the right side of the Ribbon under the Home tab.
Installable add-ins are grouped by All, My add-ins, and Admin-managed.
All
These add-ins come from the Office store, but may not be approved by IT for installation. If you find an Outlook add-in here that you feel would be useful, please contact the IT Helpdesk.
My add-ins
This section lists all the add-ins you currently have installed. Note that not every installed add-in will be listed here (like Mimecast and Adobe PDF) because they are a different type of add-in that need to be installed separately.
Admin-managed
The add-ins listed in this section are Office store add-ins that are approved by IT, so you can freely install them. The available add-ins are listed below; check their entries in the Office store to view a more detailed description. Some of these add-ins may already be installed, but you can feel free to install any that are not. Any new Add-Ins will require an IT ticket and IT Management Approval.
Salesforce
Integrates Salesforce with Outlook, allowing you to view contacts, leads, accounts, opportunities, and cases associated with email addresses, manage Salesforce tasks from Outlook, and more.
RingCentral Scheduler
Allows you to schedule RingCentral video meetings quickly and easily from within Outlook.
Unsubscribe
This add-in allows you to unsubscribe from emails and block the sender if desired.
Suggested Meetings
Finds meeting suggestions in your email messages and allows you to add them to your calendar.
My Templates
Allows you to save blocks of text to quickly use later when composing messages.
Bing Maps
Allows you to map addresses found within your email messages using Bing.
Action Items
Analyzes your messages and looks for possible action items, then suggests them as tasks.
Viva Insights
Analyzes your calendar and email activity to give you insights into how you’re spending your work time and how you may be able to make it more efficient.