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Using the Add-In

Once installed, the add-in adds two buttons to the Classic Outlook for WindowsExternal LinkThis link leads to an external website and will open in a new tab compose toolbar: Attach with Files.com and Convert to Share Link. The buttons are available when composing a new message, or when a reply or forward is opened as a separate window. They do not appear when composing inline in the reading pane. Both buttons upload the files to Files.com, create a Snapshot Share Link, and insert the link into the message body. The file is never sent as a regular email attachment.

Required Permissions

Any user signed in to the Files.com Desktop App can use the add-in, provided their account has at least one folder with sharing permissions enabled.

Site Administrators, Workspace Administrators, and Folder Administrators always meet this requirement. Other users need at least one folder on their account with share permissions explicitly granted. Share Links created by the add-in are owned by the user who created them. If a user does not have any folder with sharing permissions, the add-in cannot generate a Share Link and will return an error.

Ribbon Actions

When you open a standalone compose window, two Files.com buttons appear in the Message tab, to the right of the standard Outlook toolbar buttons:

Attach with Files.com opens a file picker, uploads the selected files to Files.com, and inserts a Share Link into the message body.

Convert to Share Link takes files shown in the attachment bar of the message, uploads them to Files.com, replaces the attachments with a Share Link, and removes the original attachments. Inline images and videos embedded directly in the message body are not affected.

When forwarding an email that already has attachments, only attachments you add to the forward can be converted. Attachments carried over from the original message cannot be converted. To send those as Share Links, save them to your local disk first, remove them from the forward, then use Attach with Files.com to re-upload them.

Profile Selection

If your Desktop App has only one signed-in profile, the add-in uses it automatically. If you are signed in to multiple Files.com sites, the add-in prompts you to choose which site to use for the upload and Share Link.

The add-in creates Snapshot Share Links. When you use the add-in, Files.com takes a copy of each file as it exists at that moment and stores it in a hidden, read-only area of your site. The shared version is frozen at the time of sending. It cannot be changed after the email goes out, even if the original file is later modified or deleted. Recipients can download the file but cannot upload or make any modifications through the Share Link.

The Snapshot copy is stored in your site's underscore folder and counts toward your site's storage usage. It is automatically deleted when the Share Link expires. Snapshot Share Links have a maximum expiration window of 60 days.

All site-level access controls apply automatically to Share Links created by the add-in:

  • Password protection: require a password to open the link
  • Email-based one-time passwords: send a single-use password to the recipient's email before they can access the file
  • Recipient restrictions: restrict access to specific invited recipients only; a forwarded URL does not grant access to anyone else
  • Expiration dates: links expire automatically after a set number of days
  • Publish dates: set the earliest date the link becomes active; useful for releasing files at a specific time
  • Visitor limits: disable the link after a maximum number of accesses
  • Registration: require recipients to provide their name, email, and company before downloading; IP address and access time are always recorded
  • Clickwrap: require recipients to accept terms before accessing the file

The add-in prompts you for input only when site policy requires it, such as when a password or note is mandatory.

If your Site Administrator has disabled Snapshot Share Links, the add-in cannot create Share Links. Contact your Site Administrator if you encounter an error when using the add-in.

How Recipients Access the File

The Enforce Access Control for All Share Links setting for your site changes how recipients access the files you send.

If it is not enabled, a single Share Link is inserted into the message body. Any recipient who receives the email can open it. You can still apply recipient restrictions on individual links.

If it is enabled, the add-in does not insert a link into the message body. Instead, once you send your email, Files.com automatically sends each recipient their own personalized invitation URL in a separate email. Each URL is bound to that recipient's browser session. A forwarded link does not open for anyone else. This happens automatically based on the recipients listed in the To, CC, and BCC fields of the message. Note that recipients with blocked email domains will not receive an invitation.

In both cases, the recipient clicks the link and it opens a download page in their browser.

Because the add-in sends a link rather than an attachment, you can revoke access at any time after sending. Revoking the link immediately prevents the recipient from opening it, even if the URL is still in their inbox.

Every access (who opened the link, when, and from where) is captured in the Share Link Access Log. To confirm which recipients received an invitation email, check the Outbound Emails log.

Blocked Recipient Domains

If your site has Recipient Email Restrictions configured (for example, blocking free email providers or specific domains) and Enforce Access Control is also enabled, the add-in still generates the Share Link and sends the email. However, invitation URLs are only sent to recipients whose email domains are allowed. Recipients with blocked domains do not receive an invitation and cannot access the file.

The sender does not see any warning or error in Outlook. If you need to confirm which recipients received an invitation, check the Outbound Emails log after sending.