The Outlook Email plugin is for work email on Microsoft 365: getting through a full inbox, spotting which messages need a reply today, summarizing a long supplier thread, pulling out action items, and drafting a reply or forward you can edit. It suits people at companies that run on Outlook, where most setup questions are about IT approval rather than the plugin itself.
From the publisher
Work with Outlook Email using the configured Microsoft Outlook app connector. App-backed plugin built by OpenAI that uses the Microsoft Outlook connector. Listed in OpenAI's curated Codex marketplace (openai-curated); the manifest declares an app connector.
What you need
- A Microsoft account with an Outlook mailbox. At work or school, some actions need Microsoft Graph permissions that a Microsoft Entra administrator must approve for the organization. Your ChatGPT admin and your Entra admin may be different people.
- ChatGPT: install from the Plugins tab on the web or desktop app, then use it in Chat or Work on web, desktop or mobile.
- Codex: the ChatGPT desktop app or Codex CLI (
codex plugin add outlook-email@openai-curated), signed in with your ChatGPT account. It isn't in the plugin set offered to Codex users who sign in with an API key. - Business, Enterprise and Edu: plugins are on by default in Business workspaces and off in Enterprise and Edu. Approving permissions in Entra doesn't switch on Outlook actions in ChatGPT; a workspace admin enables those separately, and users may need to reconnect.
Good to know
- It can act, not just read. The plugin is declared with write access. By default ChatGPT reads on its own but asks before important actions such as sending a message on your behalf. In workspaces, Outlook write actions stay off until an admin enables them.
- Shared mailboxes work if your account already has access. OpenAI's April 2026 release notes say you need to give ChatGPT the exact mailbox address.
- Permission changes need re-approval. When OpenAI updated the app's Microsoft permissions in March 2026, Entra admins had to approve the new scopes before new users could connect.
- No new-mail triggers. OpenAI's documented event triggers for scheduled tasks cover Gmail, Slack and GitHub, not Outlook. A time-based scheduled task can still run an inbox summary.
- Disconnecting. Open Settings > Plugins (or Apps), select Outlook Email and choose Disconnect. Content already saved in a chat stays until you delete it.
Also available as
Install
- 1Add it in ChatGPT
Open Plugins in the ChatGPT sidebar (web or desktop), search for “Outlook Email” and select +. You'll be asked to sign in to any connected service on first use. Then type @ in a chat to call it.
- 2Or install it in Codex
codex plugin add outlook-email@openai-curatedStart a new Codex session afterwards. You can also run /plugins inside the CLI to browse and install interactively.
Things to ask
- “Triage inbox, summarize thread, or draft reply or forward”
- “Triage my Outlook inbox”
- “Summarize this thread and draft a reply”
Disconnect or uninstall
- 1In ChatGPT
Disconnect an account in Settings → Apps or Plugins. To remove the plugin itself, open Outlook Email in the Plugin Directory and select Uninstall plugin. Uninstalling can disconnect every account connected through it, and plugins your workspace installs may not offer the option.
- 2In Codex
codex plugin remove outlook-email@openai-curated
Outlook Email: common questions
- Can ChatGPT read my Outlook email?
Yes, once you connect your Microsoft account. ChatGPT searches your mailbox and reads threads when a request needs them, such as "which emails from this week still need a reply?". It only reaches the mailboxes your account can open. At work, your Microsoft admin's consent settings and your ChatGPT workspace settings both have to allow it.
- Why can't I connect Outlook to ChatGPT at work?
Most often, your organization hasn't approved the app yet. Microsoft lets admins turn off user consent, so people can't grant a new app access to their mail on their own. A Microsoft Entra administrator then has to approve ChatGPT's permissions for the organization, and a ChatGPT workspace admin has to make the plugin available.
- Does the Outlook Email plugin include my calendar?
No. Calendars are handled by the separate Outlook Calendar plugin, which also connects with your Microsoft account and goes through the same kind of Entra approval at work. Install it from the Plugin Directory alongside this one. See How to install plugins in ChatGPT.
- What's the difference between the Outlook Email plugin, app and MCP server?
The Outlook Email app is OpenAI's connection to your mailbox. The plugin wraps that connection so you can install it in ChatGPT and Codex from the Plugin Directory. Microsoft Work IQ is Microsoft's own set of MCP servers for Microsoft 365 data, managed through Microsoft Agent 365 in your tenant and aimed at people building agents.
Guide updated Oct 24, 2026. Sources: learn.chatgpt.com, github.com, github.com, help.openai.com, help.openai.com, help.openai.com, learn.chatgpt.com, learn.chatgpt.com, learn.chatgpt.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com.
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