# Outlook Add-In: Email Filing

Connect your Outlook account to automatically file project emails and review decisions without leaving your inbox.

Manage your email connection in [**Account Settings > Integrations**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/account-settings/integrations).

## Prerequisites

* A Cogram account with at least one project
* A Microsoft 365 / Outlook account
* The Cogram Add-In installed in your Outlook — contact your IT administrator if not yet available

## Connecting your Outlook account

1. Go to [**Account Settings > Integrations**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/account-settings/integrations).
2. Under **Email Connection**, click **Connect** next to Microsoft Outlook.
3. Sign in and grant the requested permissions.

Cogram begins processing new emails immediately. Emails already in your inbox are not retroactively filed.

> Your IT organization may need to approve the integration. Contact your administrator if the authentication step fails.

## How filing works

When an email arrives or is sent, Cogram checks it against your active projects and assigns a decision:

| Decision      | Meaning                                           |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Filed**     | Matched to a project and filed automatically.     |
| **Pending**   | A project is suggested — needs your confirmation. |
| **Not Filed** | No matching project found.                        |

Filed emails appear in the **Emails** tab of the matched project. Review and act on decisions in the **Cogram Add-In panel** — a sidebar inside Outlook. Open it via the Cogram icon in your toolbar or ribbon.

> **Pin the Add-In panel — recommended on first use.** Click the **pin icon** (thumbtack) in the top-right corner of the panel. The panel stays open as you click between emails and updates automatically — no need to reopen it each time. Without pinning, **Outlook automatically closes the panel whenever you click on another email** — this is Outlook's default behavior for any add-in, not a Cogram limitation. The pin only needs to be set once per account.

| Action      | What it does                                         |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| **Confirm** | Accept the suggested project — status becomes Filed. |
| **Reject**  | Decline — status becomes Not Filed.                  |
| **Remove**  | Remove a previously confirmed filing.                |

## Filing settings

Go to [**Account Settings > Integrations > Email Connection**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/account-settings/integrations) to control what gets filed.

### Auto-file incoming emails

Toggle on to automatically file emails you **receive** to matching projects. When off, incoming emails are not processed unless you file them manually from the Add-In panel.

### Auto-file outgoing emails

Toggle on to automatically file emails you **send** to matching projects. Control this independently from incoming — useful if you only want to track sent correspondence.

### File from folder

Designate an Outlook folder as a manual filing trigger. Any email moved into that folder is sent to Cogram for matching, regardless of the auto-file toggles above.

Enable the **File from folder** toggle in [**Account Settings > Integrations > Email Connection**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/account-settings/integrations):

<figure><img src="/files/xgBQ3x1JQhLUoM5d74xC" alt="Email Connection settings with File from folder toggle highlighted" width="700"><figcaption><p>Enable the File from folder toggle to open the folder picker</p></figcaption></figure>

A folder picker opens. Select an existing Outlook folder, or click **Create "File to Cogram"** to let Cogram create a dedicated folder. You can also type any name to create a custom folder:

<figure><img src="/files/dLJ6ShGwRAPgmlwACreq" alt="Choose a filing folder dialog with folder list and Create File to Cogram option" width="400"><figcaption><p>Pick an existing folder or create a new one with any name</p></figcaption></figure>

The selected folder appears at the top with a checkmark. Click **Confirm** to save:

<figure><img src="/files/V6kRTKNkuPzAEMPUnwXb" alt="Choose a filing folder dialog with File to Cogram selected and a checkmark" width="400"><figcaption><p>Confirm your selection — emails moved to this folder will be filed automatically</p></figcaption></figure>

### Apply category labels

Cogram writes a color-coded Outlook category to each processed email — **Filed** (green), **Pending** (yellow), **Not Filed** (gray). Labels update automatically as decisions change. Turn off if you use Outlook categories for other purposes.

> **Organization admins** can set defaults and lock all three auto-filing toggles (incoming, outgoing, apply category labels) for the entire organization. Go to [**Organization Settings > Projects > Email Auto-Filing**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/admin/projects?tab=email-auto-filing). Each setting can be left **Unlocked** (users override freely) or set to **Locked** (your org default applies to everyone and cannot be changed by individual users).

<figure><img src="/files/ir8z9VBIZksXVYFyX9tZ" alt="Email Auto-Filing settings in Organization Settings showing incoming and outgoing auto-file toggles (Inactive, Unlocked) and Apply Outlook category labels toggle (Active, Locked)" width="900"><figcaption><p>Organization Settings > Projects > Email Auto-Filing — admins can toggle and lock each setting org-wide</p></figcaption></figure>

### Filing sensitivity — excluding senders from auto-filing

**Admin-only.** Some senders should never have their emails auto-filed — HR communications, personal contacts copied in on project threads, automated notification services. Org admins can maintain a **Filing sensitivity** list of sender addresses that are excluded from auto-filing for the entire organization.

Go to [**Organization Settings > Projects > Email Auto-Filing**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/admin/projects?tab=email-auto-filing) and add the addresses to the **Filing sensitivity** field. Separate multiple addresses with commas or semicolons, or press Enter after each. Changes save automatically.

How it works:

* **Sender match only.** Cogram compares the **From** address of incoming email against the list. Strict, full-address match (`alice@example.com`), lowercased. Domains (`example.com`) and partial matches are not supported — add each address individually.
* **Auto-filing only.** Excluded senders still show up in your inbox and you can still file their emails manually from the Add-In. Only automatic filing is skipped.
* **Outgoing mail is unaffected.** Filing sensitivity is applied to incoming mail based on the sender. Emails you send to a listed address are filed normally.
* **Visible to admins only.** The list is never shown to non-admins or included in auto-filing decision explanations.

## Bulk-filing emails from the Add-In

> **Outlook version requirement:** Bulk-filing requires **Outlook with a Microsoft 365 subscription** (desktop or web). It is not available on perpetual / volume-license Outlook (Office 2016, 2019, 2021, or 2024 LTSC), Outlook for iOS and Android, or Outlook on the web connected to an on-premises Exchange Server. On unsupported versions the multi-select option does not appear in the Add-In panel — single-email filing works normally.

You can file or remove multiple emails at once directly from the Cogram Add-In panel in Outlook.

1. Select two or more emails in your Outlook folder (hold **Ctrl** or **Shift** to multi-select), then open the **Email Management** Add-In from the toolbar or the action menu.

<figure><img src="/files/fRrnANldHpMj9Ulvkoms" alt="Outlook inbox with 2 emails selected and the Email Management button highlighted in the toolbar" width="600"><figcaption><p>Select emails, then open Email Management from the toolbar or action menu</p></figcaption></figure>

2. The Add-In shows the count of selected emails. Pick one or more projects to file them to — you can search or scroll the project list.

<figure><img src="/files/GOLL1xcsHmYXleJAXWxz" alt="Cogram Add-In panel showing 2 emails selected, project picker with Building Cogram selected, and File button" width="600"><figcaption><p>Select a project (or multiple), then click File</p></figcaption></figure>

3. Click **File N emails to N project**. The Add-In confirms the count of filed emails.

<figure><img src="/files/AtKGMwcqexzfNvUxwevZ" alt="Cogram Add-In panel showing Filed 2 of 2 with checkmarks and a Done button" width="600"><figcaption><p>Confirmation — emails are now in the project record</p></figcaption></figure>

To remove a batch from a project, select the emails, open the Add-In panel, and click **Remove**.

## Disconnecting

Go to [**Account Settings > Integrations > Email Connection**](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/settings/account-settings/integrations) and click **Disconnect**. Existing filed emails remain in your projects; no new emails will be processed.

## Troubleshooting

**Emails not filing automatically** — Check that auto-file toggles are on and the account shows as connected. Reconnect if needed.

**Category labels not appearing** — Enable the **Apply category labels** toggle. If labels still don't appear, ask your IT administrator to confirm Cogram has the required Microsoft Graph permissions.

**Add-In panel not visible** — Contact your administrator to install the Cogram Add-In via the Microsoft 365 admin center.

**Panel closes when switching emails** — The panel is not pinned. Click the **pin icon** (thumbtack) in the top-right corner of the panel to keep it open as you navigate between emails.

**Label shows wrong status** — Refresh the Cogram Add-In panel. The label updates once Cogram processes the change.

**Bulk-filing (multi-select) option not visible** — Your Outlook version does not support multi-select in add-ins. Bulk-filing requires a Microsoft 365 subscription version of Outlook (desktop 2301+ or Outlook on the web against Exchange Online). It is not available on perpetual Office licenses (2016/2019/2021/2024 LTSC), Outlook mobile, or Outlook on the web connected to on-premises Exchange. Use single-email filing until you upgrade.

## Next steps

* [Projects](/guides/projects.md) — how emails appear in the project record
* [Emails](/guides/emails.md) — forward emails for summarization or report drafting


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.cogram.com/guides/outlook-add-in-email-filing.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.