# Installation explained

> What the guided MailConnect install does in your tenant, step by step, so you can review it, or pass it to IT or security, before you start.

Source: https://getmailconnect.com/docs/getting-started/installation/

Everything the [guided install](https://getmailconnect.com/install/) does, written out so you can review it
before going through it, or pass it on to security or IT for approval.

The install takes about 15 minutes. It does three things in your tenant:

1. **Approves the licence checker**, a Microsoft Entra app that counts licensed users.
2. **Approves the MailConnect app**, the Entra app the add-in uses to reach SharePoint and Outlook as the signed-in user.
3. **Deploys the Outlook add-in** by uploading its manifest in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

The install creates or changes nothing else in your tenant. Every permission
involved is listed under [Permissions](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/permissions.md), and what data
goes where under [Data residency](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/data-residency.md).

## Before you start

| You need | Why |
|----------|-----|
| **Global Administrator** role | Admin consent for the two Entra apps needs it. Without it you can hand over to someone who has it (see [step 2](#2-global-admin-check)). |
| SharePoint and Outlook licences | MailConnect files mail to SharePoint from Outlook. |
| An Entra ID security group *(optional)* | Recommended if you want to roll out to a pilot group first. |

## Step by step

### 1. Your details

You enter your name, company, work email and, optionally, a phone number, and
accept the [Terms](https://getmailconnect.com/legal/terms/) and the [Privacy Policy](https://getmailconnect.com/legal/privacy/).
These are sent to Pinksky ApS so we know who installed
MailConnect and can help if something goes wrong. Nothing is read from your tenant
at this point.

### 2. Global admin check

The wizard asks whether you have a Global Administrator account. If you don't,
select **I am not Global Administrator**: the wizard gives you a link to copy, or
to email to your admin, who continues from the next step. Neither of you has to
start over.

### 3. Approve the licence checker

**Approve with Microsoft** opens Microsoft's consent screen for
**MailConnect - License verification app**. It keeps track of how many
Microsoft-licensed users are in your tenant, so we can warn you *before* you
reach your MailConnect user limit and it never stops working unexpectedly. We
keep only the total count, never who the users are or which licences they have.
See [what it can access](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/permissions.md#licence-checker).

### 4. Approve the MailConnect app

**Approve with Microsoft** opens Microsoft's consent screen for
**MailConnect - Outlook App**. This is the app the add-in uses
to work with SharePoint and Outlook, always as the signed-in user. See
[what it can access](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/permissions.md#mailconnect-app).

On both consent screens, **Pinksky ApS** is shown as the
publisher. That is the company behind MailConnect. If you cancel on Microsoft's
screen, the wizard says the approval wasn't completed, and you can try again.

### 5. Deploy the add-in

You download the [add-in manifest](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/permissions.md#the-outlook-add-in)
with **Download manifest**. Then, in the
[Microsoft 365 admin center](https://admin.cloud.microsoft/#/Settings/AddIns)
(the link opens the **Integrated apps · add-ins** page directly), signed in as an
administrator:

1. Click **Deploy Add-in**, then **Next**.
2. Choose **Upload custom apps**.
3. Select **I have the manifest file (.xml)** and upload the manifest.
4. Click **Next**.

Then Microsoft asks two questions.

**Who gets it?** (under **Assign users**)

| Option | What it means |
|--------|---------------|
| **Specific users / groups** *(recommended)* | Only the users or groups you choose. Easy to expand later. |
| Everyone | Every user in your tenant. |
| Just me | Only you, for a quick test. |

**Deployment method**

| Option | What it means |
|--------|---------------|
| **Fixed** *(recommended)* | Pushed to the chosen users and pinned in Outlook so it can't be removed by accident. |
| Available | Shows up in Outlook's "Get Add-ins" menu for users to add themselves. |
| Optional | Installed automatically, but users can remove it. |

Click **Next**, then **Finish**. Back in the wizard, select **Finish installation**.

### 6. Done

Microsoft typically takes **24–72 hours** to roll a new add-in out to users.
Nothing else needs doing: MailConnect shows up in Outlook by itself, on the
ribbon in a group called **Pinksky**. See
[Opening MailConnect](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/using-mailconnect/opening.md) for where to find it in
each version of Outlook.

If you're starting MailConnect on your own, your free trial starts when the first
user opens MailConnect in Outlook, not on the day you install. See
[Your trial](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/getting-started/trial.md).

Once MailConnect is running, you follow its use, manage who has access and change
its settings in the [MailConnect Admin Center](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/getting-started/admin-center.md).

## Uninstalling

1. In the [Microsoft 365 admin center](https://admin.cloud.microsoft/#/Settings/AddIns), open MailConnect and remove it.
2. In **Entra ID → Enterprise applications**, delete the MailConnect app and the licence checker, and the MailConnect Admin Center app if anyone signed in to the Admin Center (see [Removing access](https://getmailconnect.com/docs/security/permissions.md#removing-access)).
3. Optionally, delete the MailConnect app folder from users' OneDrive to remove their settings.

Emails and documents already filed to SharePoint stay where they are.

Questions? Contact [support@getmailconnect.com](mailto:support@getmailconnect.com).