Claude and Microsoft 365
Claude for Outlook: the add-in, the Microsoft 365 connector and how to roll them out
A plain guide for IT and operations leads. Every fact is taken from Anthropic's own documentation as read on 6 November 2026. The Outlook add-in is in beta, so check the cited pages before you act.
Claude can work with Outlook in two ways. The Claude for Outlook add-in sits in your inbox and calendar, and Anthropic labels it beta on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. The Microsoft 365 connector lets Claude in claude.ai search Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams and, if admins allow it, take actions. They differ on sending mail, so a team should choose on purpose. This page covers setup, the plugin question and what to govern, with each source and the date it was read.
plain answer
Claude for Outlook: what is it?
Claude for Outlook is an add-in that brings Claude into your Outlook inbox and calendar. Anthropic's documentation says it can triage unread mail, draft replies in your voice, summarize long threads with per-email citations, read Word and Excel attachments, find meeting times and brief you before a meeting.
Anthropic states it is currently in beta and available to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. It runs on Outlook on the web, on Windows (new and classic Outlook) and on Mac, each with a Microsoft 365 subscription, and needs Exchange Online. Anthropic lists Outlook 2016 and 2019 perpetual or volume editions, Outlook on iOS and Android, and Exchange on-premises mailboxes as not supported.
Source: Anthropic, Use Claude for Outlook (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md), read 6 November 2026.
how to
Claude Outlook integration: how do you set it up for a team?
Anthropic says admins deploy the add-in from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center: allow Office Store access under User owned apps and services, open Integrated apps, find Claude for Outlook in Microsoft AppSource, and deploy it to the organization or chosen people. If the Office Store is blocked, admins can upload Anthropic's manifest file instead.
A second step is separate. Anthropic says the add-in reads mail and calendar data through Microsoft Graph, which needs a one-time tenant-wide consent from a Global Administrator. Without it, every user sees a Need admin approval message. Anthropic also documents using your own single-tenant Entra app if policy bars consenting to a third-party app. Anthropic notes full rollout can take up to 24 hours on the Microsoft side.
Source: Anthropic, Use Claude for Outlook (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md), read 6 November 2026.
how to
How do you connect Claude to Outlook?
For one person, Anthropic's add-in steps are: open the Claude for Outlook listing on Microsoft AppSource, select Get it now, open any email in Outlook, select the Claude button in the message ribbon and sign in with a Claude account.
The other route is the Microsoft 365 connector. Anthropic says it is available on every Claude plan, that Team and Enterprise support work or school accounts only, and that a Microsoft Entra Global Administrator must grant tenant consent. On Team and Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner adds it under Organization settings, Connectors, then each member connects their own account under Customize, Connectors.
Sources: Anthropic, Use Claude for Outlook (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md) and Microsoft 365 connector (https://claude.com/docs/connectors/microsoft/365.md), read 6 November 2026.
how to
Is there a Claude Outlook plugin or MCP connector?
The add-in is what most people mean by a Claude Outlook plugin, and it is in beta. Anthropic does not describe a separate Outlook plugin or MCP server. Its Microsoft 365 connector is the other route, and Anthropic names the matching Entra app M365 MCP Server for Claude.
Anthropic says the connector's permissions are delegated, so Claude can read or change only what your own account can. With a work account, administrators control write actions, which include sending mail and managing drafts and calendar events, and read and search work either way. Anthropic describes role-based enabling of write actions for specific users as beta.
Sources: Anthropic, Microsoft 365 connector (https://claude.com/docs/connectors/microsoft/365.md) and Use Claude for Outlook (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md), read 6 November 2026.
security
What should a team govern before turning on Claude for Outlook?
First, sending. Anthropic says the add-in never sends mail or invites on its own and does not request the Mail.Send permission, so every draft lands unsent for the person to review. Anthropic also says it can search, move and flag mail through Microsoft Graph, so decide who may ask it to archive or reorganize a mailbox. The connector can send mail if admins turn on write actions, so decide that setting deliberately.
Second, data. Anthropic says that when people sign in with a Claude account, mailbox content Claude reads becomes part of the prompt sent to Anthropic, and the add-in's inputs and outputs are deleted within 30 days, with exceptions.
Sources: Anthropic, Use Claude for Outlook, sections on mailbox access and data (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md) and Microsoft 365 connector (https://claude.com/docs/connectors/microsoft/365.md), read 6 November 2026.
security
How is Claude for Outlook overseen, and what is the risk?
Third, oversight. Anthropic says the add-in does not inherit custom retention settings and is not in Enterprise audit logs. Enterprise organizations can route its audit telemetry to their own collector, and Compliance API coverage applies where enabled.
Finally, risk. Anthropic warns that email from external senders can hide instructions meant to manipulate Claude, and advises reviewing every draft and action.
Also, history. Anthropic says chat history is stored locally in the browser and the add-in does not keep a server-side copy or index of your mailbox. Clearing chat history removes only the browser copy, not what Anthropic keeps.
Source: Anthropic, Use Claude for Outlook, sections on chat history, retention, audit and prompt injection (https://claude.com/docs/office-agents/outlook.md), read 6 November 2026.
kriv role
Where Kriv helps
Kriv AI helps teams choose between the add-in and the connector, set who may use them and what they may touch, write the review rules for drafted replies, and train people on real inbox and calendar work. Kriv AI has achieved the Select partner tier in the Claude Partner Network Services Track.
Kriv did not build either product and does not replace Anthropic's or Microsoft's documentation. Your own admins hold the consent and the settings.
limits
What this page could not confirm
The add-in is in beta, its page carries no last-updated date and, as read on 6 November 2026, a warning about missing chat history and skills after recent Microsoft 365 updates on Windows. We did not open Anthropic's pages on data storage, enterprise readiness or the connector security guide, did not read Microsoft's own documentation, and did not test either product. For anything not cited above, check Anthropic's current pages and your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
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Straight answers
Frequently asked questions about Claude for Outlook: the add-in, the Microsoft 365 connector and how to roll them out
Is Claude for Outlook in beta?
Yes. Anthropic says Claude for Outlook is currently in beta and available to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (read 6 November 2026).
Can Claude send email from Outlook on its own?
Anthropic says the add-in never sends mail or invites on its own and does not request the Mail.Send permission. The Microsoft 365 connector can send mail when administrators enable write actions (read 6 November 2026).
Does an admin have to approve Claude for Outlook?
Anthropic says the add-in reads mail and calendar data through Microsoft Graph, which needs a one-time tenant-wide consent from a Global Administrator; without it users see a Need admin approval message (read 6 November 2026).
Does Claude for Outlook work with Outlook 2019 or on a phone?
No. Anthropic lists Outlook 2016 and 2019 perpetual or volume editions, Outlook on iOS and Android, and Exchange on-premises mailboxes as not supported (read 6 November 2026).
Can Kriv set up Claude for Outlook for us?
Kriv AI helps plan the rollout and train your team. Your Microsoft 365 admins grant the consent and deploy the add-in.
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