Box for Outlook enables you to work seamlessly between Box and Outlook across Windows, Macs, iOS, Android, and the Outlook Web app. This makes it easier to share files with people beyond the four walls of your enterprise, but still maintain data privacy and security. Since people are sending shared links in their email messages – not actual files – you preserve any security restrictions around the content, so no one who receives an email with a shared link can in turn share the document, intentionally or accidentally, with someone who isn’t supposed to see it.
Meanwhile, admins can deploy Outlook add-ins from a central location for all the Box account holders in their enterprise. And they can ensure secure authentication between Outlook apps and Box user accounts.
Below are the steps Box admins must take to make Box for Outlook available to their organization.
Installing Box for Outlook
Much of the work to install Box for Outlook happens on the Microsoft side, by Office 365 admins. During the installation process they can opt whether to deploy the Box for Outlook add-in:
- directly to an individual
- to multiple individuals via a group, or
- to everyone in the tenant using the Centralized Deployment feature in the Office 365 admin center
Note
When deploying to a group, you can assign users either individually or as part of top-level groups. However, Microsoft does not support nested groups.
Important
If you are using earlier Box for Office add-ins for Outlook (add-ins from anytime before 2019), we recommend that you first deactivate these plug-ins before installing this one. Scroll down to the Related Links section for a link to instructions on how to do this. Anyone who has installed the add-in themselves can uninstall by following these instructions on the Microsoft Office 365 Support site.
To install Box for Outlook
- If you use Office365, go to the admin center.
- Go to Settings > Service and Add-ins >Integrated apps. Then, next to Let people in your organization decide whether third-party apps can access their Office 365 information, set the slider to On.
- Return to Settings > Service and Add-ins, then click Deploy Add-ins.
- When the Centralized Deployment screen displays, click I want to add an Add-in from the Office store. Then click Next.
- The Microsoft Office App store displays. Search for Box, and then select it.
- The system displays a screen describing the Box Add-in. Click Next.
- When the User Default screen displays, click Mandatory, always enabled.
- The Specify Who Has Access screen displays. Select whether authorize access for everyone, certain groups only, or only yourself. Then click Deploy Now.
- From your Admin Console, enable Box for Outlook. See Application Settings for your Enterprise for this procedure. You can also view a detailed description of the app.
The Box add-in button displays for everyone you've authorized. Everyone using this add-in for the first time must click this button to complete a one-time authentication. Then the system prompts them to log in to Box and grant access. They only need to do this once per client.
Note
If someone doesn't use Box for Outlook for a period of two weeks, he or she must re-authenticate before using it.
Disabling Box for Microsoft Outlook
There are several methods of disabling Box for Outlook.
For O365 Admins (option 1)
- Go to the Office 365 admin center and navigate to Settings > Services and Add-ins.
- Click Box.
- Click Delete Add-in.
For Box Admins (option 2)
- From your Admin Console, navigate to Apps > Box Apps & Integrations.
- Scroll down to the Individual Application Controls section.
- Next to Box for Outlook, click the app's status and then select Disabled.
For Box Account holders
- From Outlook, navigate to Settings > Manage Add-ins > My Add-ins.
- Under the Box app, click the overflow menu and then click Remove.
Related Links
Understanding Box and Outlook Integration Options
Box for Outlook Troubleshooting
Application Settings for Your Enterprise
The Microsoft Office application store