You might not even notice how many add-ins you have already installed on your Microsoft Outlook to improve the work. Yet, some of the plugins are already installed, and some, like the Salesforce for Outlook plugin, are a secret weapon of successful business owners. If your goal is to improve your Outlook, you should find out which add-ins you really need.

Native Add-Ins

Outlook hides a wide range of small secrets from newcomers. The default add-ins you might have missed are there, made to improve your work. They are always present even if you don’t need them. Don’t worry, no matter whether you use default plugins or not, they will not slow down anything. However, you may disable some if you don’t need them. Check out the list:

• Business connectivity. You need these services for the external SharePoint integration of information inside Outlook. You can remove it if you don’t use SharePoint;
• Social connector. The add-in is a part of the People Pane feature. You can find it at the end of the Reading Pane whenever you need to check the interactivities you had before. Even Microsoft is going to remove this feature, so you may easily delete the add-in if you don’t use it;
• Microsoft Exchange. If you have an Exchange account and want to use its features, you need this add-in;
• SharePoint server colleague import tool. Again, if you don’t use SharePoint, the plugin is pointless. This service scans the Sent Items and reveals users that are offered on the “Add Colleagues” page;
• Skype Meeting. It comes with a “Skype of Business” feature. In a later version, it was replaced with Microsoft Teams;
• Teams meeting. If you have Microsoft Teams, you can open the Calendar there, and the add-in will be enclosed. It provides you with the “New Teams Meeting” service in the Calendar;
• Messaging of Exchange service. You need an Exchange mailbox to use this add-in;
• Notes from OneNote. You need to use OneNote as a part of Microsoft 365 Apps;
• VBA for Outlook. You may want to use it for macros in Outlook. It is not active by default;
• Access Outlook. It helps you to collect and publish data which later syncs with the Access;
• Search Indexer. You might want to leave it disabled for your Outlook. In the later Office version, it was removed.

Top Add-Ins for Productivity

Here are the most popular plugins in 2021. You might find something working for you as well. These add-ins help users to perform their daily tasks:

• Outlook on Desktop. This option allows you to pin the calendar to the desktop and make all the events you need more visible for you;
• Grammarly. This add-in is free of charge and allows you to write anything you need without grammar errors. This is a must-have for anyone in the modern world;
• Advanced Folders Watch. If you are waiting for important messages but don’t want to waste your time checking all the Outlook folders, enable this free add-in;
• Text Lightning. This plugin is really similar to Gmail’s Canned Responses. It saves time for business owners who have to answer lots of emails with standard texts;
• Evernote. This plugin was created to help you with note organizing. It does not only store the notes but helps you to extract them whenever you need them;
• Boomerang. This service allows you to schedule your emails so that you can send them at the most appropriate time. You may also delay emails you’ve written until you decide to send them;
• Mr. Post. This tool protects you from phishers and scammers. It secures your emails and warns you whether they are safe or not;
• PayPal. You are probably familiar with this service by now. Use this app to send the money to any receiver of your choice. Use add-in to do it in the email, by writing down the email address;
• Custom Signatures. You can create your own range of signatures and send them to different accounts and recipients. It works great for multiple accounts owner;
• Dropbox. This add-in helps to share big files from the cloud storage without the need to attach them. For now, this add-in does not support Outlook 365.

Beneficial Add-Ins for Work

The main advantage of add-ins is that they are all free of charge and do not require anything specific except for Outlook from you. Moreover, you can significantly improve your daily work with their help, postponing letters or using cloud storage. Check out all your possibilities and add more whenever you need them. If you have your favorites, share them in the comments.