Your sales team lives in their inbox. If logging a call, updating a contact, or checking an opportunity requires leaving Outlook, opening Salesforce, searching for the right record, and typing in the details manually most of the time, it simply will not happen consistently.

That is the problem the Salesforce add-in for Outlook solves. It brings a live Salesforce panel directly into your inbox so your team can log emails, view CRM records, create tasks, and sync contacts without switching between applications.

This guide covers what the Salesforce add-in for Outlook actually is, what happened to the old plugin, how to install it correctly both as an admin deploying to your whole organization and as an individual user, and how to fix the most common issues you will run into.

What Is the Salesforce Add-in for Outlook?

The Salesforce add-in for Outlook is a lightweight, cloud-based tool that places a Salesforce sidebar inside Microsoft Outlook. When a user opens an email, the panel appears alongside it, showing the matching Salesforce contact, lead, account, or opportunity. From there, they can log the email to that record, create a follow-up task, update fields, or add a new contact—all without leaving their inbox.

The add-in works across Outlook desktop (Windows and Mac), Outlook on the web (OWA), and Microsoft 365. It installs from Microsoft AppSource and connects directly to your Salesforce org via the cloud, which means there is no local software to maintain, and it does not break when Windows updates.

It is worth being clear about one thing before going further.

The Old Salesforce for Outlook Plugin Is Gone

If you have been using Salesforce for some years, you may remember a different tool, the original Salesforce for Outlook plugin. That was a locally installed Windows application. Salesforce fully retired it in December 2024. It no longer receives updates, patches, or support of any kind.

The old plugin caused constant problems: broken syncs after Windows updates, compatibility issues with newer Outlook versions, and no support for Mac or web-based Outlook. Any guide written before 2024 that tells you to download “Salesforce for Outlook” is describing a retired product. Do not install it.

Salesforce replaced it with three modern, cloud-native tools. Here is a brief explanation of each so you know which one applies to your situation.

The Three Modern Options: Which One Do You Need?

Outlook Integration Add-in

This is the direct replacement for the old plugin. It is the primary and recommended way to connect Outlook with Salesforce for most businesses. It gives users a real-time Salesforce sidebar in their inbox for manual email logging, record viewing, and contact creation. It is lightweight, quick to deploy, and works across all Outlook platforms.

Best for: Teams that want a simple, reliable Salesforce sidebar for day-to-day email activity without complex configuration.

Einstein Activity Capture (EAC)

Einstein Activity Capture runs in the background and automatically syncs emails, contacts, and calendar events between Outlook and Salesforce without any manual input from users. Emails sent and received in Outlook are logged to the matching Salesforce record automatically. Calendar events sync in near-real time.

Best for: Teams who want hands-off automatic activity logging and do not want to rely on users remembering to log things manually. Requires Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition or above.

Salesforce Inbox

Salesforce Inbox builds on the add-in foundation and adds a premium layer of sales productivity tools: email open tracking, send-later scheduling, email templates, and meeting booking links. It requires additional licensing.

Best for: High-volume sales teams that rely heavily on email outreach and want tracking and scheduling tools on top of basic CRM sync.

For most small and midsized businesses, the Outlook Integration Add-in is the right starting point. The steps below cover its installation.

Before You Start: What You Need

Before installing the Salesforce add-in for Outlook, confirm you have the following in place.

On the Salesforce side:

• A Salesforce account with Lightning Experience enabled (the add-in does not support Salesforce Classic)
• System Administrator access to configure Salesforce Setup, or permission from your administrator to proceed
• The “Outlook Integration” user permission is enabled for relevant users

On the Microsoft side:

• Microsoft 365 with Exchange Online (Exchange 2019 or later on-premise also works)
• Access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre if you are deploying centrally for your organisation
• Outlook desktop (2016 or later), Outlook on the web, or the Outlook mobile app

One additional requirement for 2026: Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, launched in 2024, deprecated legacy Exchange Online tokens. If your organization uses Exchange Online, your Microsoft 365 admin needs to complete a one-time Admin Consent Flow granting Salesforce explicit permission to use the required API scopes at the tenant level. Without this step, users will see authentication errors when they try to connect. This is a one-time action and does not need to be repeated for each user.

Step One: Enable Outlook Integration in Salesforce Setup

Your Salesforce administrator needs to complete this part first.

1. Log in to Salesforce and click the gear icon in the top-right corner, then select Setup.
2. In the Quick Find search box on the left, type Outlook Integration and Sync and select it from the results.
3. On the Outlook Integration and Sync page, toggle Outlook Integration to on.
4. Make sure Use Enhanced Email with Outlook is also enabled. This allows emails to be logged as standard Salesforce message objects and activates the Email to Salesforce feature, letting users add Outlook emails and their attachments directly to Salesforce records.
5. Save your settings.

This step establishes the foundation on the Salesforce side. Without it, users who install the add-in will not be able to connect it to your org.

Step Two: Install the Add-in

There are two ways to get the Salesforce add-in into Outlook: centralized deployment via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (recommended for organizations) or individual installation by each user.

Option A: Centralised Deployment (Recommended for Teams)

This method lets an administrator push the add-in to all users at once without anyone having to install it themselves. It is the cleanest approach for a business rolling this out across a team.

1. Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center at admin.microsoft.com.
2. Navigate to Settings and then Integrated Apps.
3. Click Add-ins and search for Salesforce.
4. Select the Salesforce add-in from the results.
5. Click Add and follow the prompts. You will be asked to choose which users or groups receive the add-in. You can deploy to everyone or to specific groups.
6. Once deployed, the add-in appears automatically in Outlook for the selected users with no action needed on their end.

Alternatively, you can deploy through the Exchange Admin Center by going to Exchange and then Add-ins, which gives similar options.

Option B: Individual Installation

If you are a single user installing the add-in yourself, or if centralized deployment is not available in your organization:

On Outlook Desktop:

1. Open Outlook and click “Get Add-ins” in the toolbar (or go to “File” then “Manage Add-ins”).
2. Search for Salesforce in the add-in store.
3. Select the Salesforce add-in and click Add.
4. Once installed, click the Salesforce icon that appears in your Outlook toolbar.
5. A sign-in prompt appears. Enter your Salesforce credentials and authorize the connection.

On Outlook Web App (OWA):

1. Open any email in OWA.
2. Click the three-dot menu (More actions) at the top of the email.
3. Select Get Add-ins.
4. Search for Salesforce, select it, and click Add.

Step Three: Connect Your Microsoft Account to Salesforce

After the add-in is installed, users need to link their Microsoft account to their Salesforce profile for the sync features to work.

1. In Salesforce, click the profile icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.
2. Go to Connected Accounts (sometimes listed as Microsoft Integrations).
3. Click Connect Microsoft Account.
4. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials when prompted.
5. Grant consent for the required permissions.

Once connected, the Salesforce sidebar will appear in Outlook whenever you open an email, showing the matching CRM records for that sender.

What You Can Do Once It Is Set Up

With the Salesforce add-in for Outlook running, here is what your team gains access to directly from their inbox:

Email logging. Open any email, click the relevant Salesforce record in the sidebar, and log the email to that contact, lead, account, or opportunity. The email and any attachments appear as an activity in Salesforce. No copying and pasting, no switching tabs.

Record viewing and editing. See the full Salesforce profile of the person who sent the email—their contact details, account information, open opportunities, and recent activity—without leaving Outlook. Update fields directly from the sidebar.

Contact creation. If an email comes from someone not yet in Salesforce, create a new contact or lead record from directly within Outlook, pulling in the email address and name automatically.

Calendar sync. Outlook calendar events sync to Salesforce as activities linked to the relevant records. A meeting booked with a prospect in Outlook automatically appears on the matching Salesforce opportunity. Sales managers can view their team’s meeting schedules through Salesforce reports without accessing anyone’s individual calendar.

Task creation. Create a Salesforce task or follow-up reminder directly from an email without opening Salesforce separately.

Fixing the Most Common Problems

The Salesforce sidebar does not appear in Outlook. This usually means the add-in was not pushed correctly from the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to the Admin Center, navigate to Integrated Apps or Exchange Add-ins, find the Salesforce add-in, and confirm it has been deployed to the affected user. Restarting Outlook after deployment is also required.

Authentication errors on login. If users see errors when trying to sign in, the most likely cause is the missing Admin Consent Flow for Exchange Online. Your Microsoft 365 administrator needs to grant Salesforce permission to the required Graph API scopes at the tenant level; this is a one-time action. Without it, the authentication step will fail for all users regardless of their own credentials.

The add-in loads but shows no Salesforce records. Check that the user has the Outlook Integration user permission enabled in Salesforce. Go to Setup, search for the user’s profile, and confirm the permission is active. Also, confirm that Lightning Experience is enabled for the org; the add-in does not work in Salesforce Classic.

Emails log to the wrong record or do not log at all. This happens when the email address in Outlook does not match any contact or lead record in Salesforce. The add-in matches records by email address, so if the contact exists in Salesforce under a different address, the sidebar will not find them automatically. You can still log manually by searching for the correct record in the sidebar.

The add-in works in Outlook desktop but not in Outlook on the web. Confirm the add-in has been deployed specifically for OWA in the Microsoft 365 admin center settings, as desktop and web deployment are sometimes configured separately.

A Note on Staying Current

Salesforce releases platform updates three times a year: Spring, Summer, and Winter. The Outlook Integration add-in occasionally receives changes alongside these releases, particularly around authentication and Exchange compatibility. Keeping your Microsoft 365 environment current and reviewing Salesforce release notes when updates arrive helps avoid unexpected issues.

If you are running a larger team or a more complex Salesforce setup and want the integration configured correctly from the start, including user permissions, custom sidebar layouts, and Einstein Activity Capture alongside the add-in, working with a Salesforce consultant makes the process faster and avoids the configuration mistakes that cause ongoing problems.

At Sailwayz, we set up and configure Salesforce integrations as part of our broader CRM consulting work, covering everything from initial Outlook integration setup through to custom email application panes built with Lightning App Builder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Salesforce add-in for Outlook free?

The Outlook Integration Add-in itself is free to install from Microsoft AppSource. You do need a valid Salesforce license and Lightning Experience enabled. Einstein Activity Capture for automatic background sync is included with Sales Cloud Enterprise Edition and above. Salesforce Inbox, which adds email tracking and templates, requires a separate license on top of your standard subscription.

Does the Salesforce add-in work on a Mac?

Yes. Because the add-in is cloud-based and installs through Microsoft AppSource rather than as a locally installed Windows application, it works across Outlook on Windows, Mac, and the web. This was one of the main reasons Salesforce retired the old plugin, which was Windows-only.

Can individual users install the add-in themselves, or does an IT admin need to do it?

Individual users can install it themselves through the Get Add-ins option in Outlook, as long as your organization’s Microsoft 365 settings allow self-service add-in installation. If your organization restricts add-in installation, an administrator will need to deploy it centrally through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. When in doubt, check with your IT team before attempting a self-install.

What is the difference between the Salesforce add-in for Outlook and Einstein Activity Capture?

The add-in gives users a manual Salesforce sidebar in Outlook; they choose which emails to log and which records to update. Einstein Activity Capture runs automatically in the background, syncing emails, contacts, and calendar events to Salesforce without any user action. Many organizations use both: the add-in for manual control and creating records and Einstein Activity Capture for automatic background logging.

My team is still using the old Salesforce for Outlook plugin. What should we do?

Migrate as soon as possible. Salesforce fully retired the original plugin in December 2024; it no longer receives security updates, bug fixes, or support of any kind. Running it creates a security risk and compatibility problems that will only get worse over time. The replacement process involves installing the Outlook Integration Add-in and, optionally, setting up Einstein Activity Capture. A Salesforce consultant can manage the migration cleanly if you have a large team or a complex existing setup.