Configuring apps for mailboxes
With
both on-premises Exchange and Exchange Online, you can add apps to the
Outlook Web App interface to add functionality. Several apps are
installed and made available to users by default, including the
following apps created by Microsoft:
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Action Items
. Makes action item suggestions based on message content.
-
Bing Maps
. Allows users to map addresses found in their messages.
-
Suggested Meetings
. Shows meeting suggestions found in messages and allows users to add the meetings to their calendars.
-
Unsubscribe
. Allows users to easily block or unsubscribe from email subscription feeds.
Other apps can be added from the Office Store, from a URL, or from a
file. All of these apps have various levels of read, read/write, or
other permissions on user mailboxes. Because apps also may send data to
a third-party service, you may want to consider carefully whether apps
should be enabled in your organization. Where strict, high security is
a requirement, my recommendation is to disable all apps.
In Exchange Admin Center, you manage apps as part of the
organization configuration. Select Organization in the feature pane and
then select Apps. As shown in Figure 2
you’ll then see the installed apps and their status. To work with Apps
for Outlook, you must have View-Only Organization Management, Help
Desk, or Organization Management permissions.
To add an app, do one of the following:
-
To add an app from the Office store, tap or click New, select Add
From The Office Store to open a new browser window to the Office store,
and then select an app to add. Select the app’s Add option, review the
app details, and then tap or click Add. When prompted to confirm,
select Yes.
-
If you know the URL of the manifest file for the app you want to
add, tap or click New and then select Add From URL. In the Add From URL
dialog box, enter the URL and then tap or click Install. Be sure to use
the full path.
-
If you’ve copied the manifest file to a local server, tap or click
New and then select Add From File. In the Add From File dialog box,
select Browse. In the Choose File To Upload dialog box, locate and
select the manifest file and then select Open. Manifest files end with
the .xml extension.
When you install a new app, the app is made available to all users
but disabled by default. This is reflected in the status of Disabled
for User Default and Everyone for Provided To.
If you have appropriate
permissions, you can manage app status by tapping or clicking the app
and then tapping or clicking Edit. In the Action Items dialog box,
shown in Figure 3, do one of the following:
-
If you don’t want the app to be available to users, clear the Make This App Available check box and then tap or click Save.
-
If you want the app to be available to users, select the Make This
App Available check box and then specify the app status as optional and
enabled by default, optional and disabled by default, or mandatory and
always enabled. Finally, tap or click Save.
Any app you install can be removed by selecting it and then
selecting the Delete option. Although you can’t uninstall the defaults
apps, you can make any or all of the default apps unavailable to users.
