Installing the Outlook Add-in

The Needles Outlook COM Add-In is automatically installed with your Needles 5.0 version, however, you will need to enable the COM Add-In within Outlook on each machine to access the NEEDLES ribbon.  

The COM Add-In contains the programming code that provides the direct link between Outlook and Needles. The instructions for activating the COM Add-In vary slightly, so follow the instructions for the version of Outlook being used.

These steps are user-specific and must be performed while logged into the computer as the user who will be using the integration.

If a workstation is shared by more than one user (such as part-time workers who log into that computer with the same username as well as into Needles with the same staff name) and each has their own Outlook profile on that workstation, then these steps should be followed for each separate Outlook profile.

Activating the Needles Outlook COM Add-In

To activate the Needles Outlook Add-In:

1. Verify the user has Administrator rights to their local computer. This is required to activate the Add-In in Outlook. If the user does not already have those rights, then they must be granted those rights at least temporarily to activate the Add-In. Their rights can be changed back once the Add-In is loaded.
2. Open your desktop Outlook application and browse to the Add-In section. The Needles 5.0 Outlook COM Add-in can be used with Outlook 2013 or later versions. 

3. On the COM Add-Ins window, select the “NeedlesOutlookAddin” check box and click the OK button. You will be returned to your Outlook Inbox and will see the NEEDLES tab ribbon displayed.

If you started Outlook with the “Run as Administrator” option, then close Outlook and restart it normally.

4. Outlook 2013 and 2016 include an Inline Reply feature. This feature allows a user to Reply, Reply All or Forward an email within the Reading Pane. By default, the Send and Post by options will not be available when using this feature. To correct this, the user should check the option: “Open replies and forwards in a new window” which is located in Outlook 2013 and 2016 under File > Options > Mail > under the Replies and forwards section.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 3 on each workstation that has Needles and Outlook installed.

If a workstation is used by more than one user and multiple Outlook profiles have been created on that workstation, steps 1 through 3 should be completed under each user’s profile.

Minimum Version

¹The most recent version of Needles is recommended when using the Outlook interface.

²Outlook must be installed and configured correctly as the default email program on each computer. Each user’s mail profile must be set up correctly and configured as the default email profile.

³Not compatible with Trial editions of Outlook.

The Needles Outlook integration has been tested and found to work with Outlook using a Microsoft Exchange, IMAP/SMTP or No-E-mail account setup. If you are using Outlook with any other mail server or e-mail account type, it is recommended that you carefully test the bidirectional integration on just one computer before configuring it on any others.

The user must have Administrator rights to the computer on which they are loading the Add-In.  If the user does not already have those rights, they must be granted those rights at least temporarily to load the Add-In and then their rights can be changed back once the Add-In is loaded.

The Needles COM Add-In may not work correctly if other add-ins are being used which modify the data within the Outlook Contacts, Calendar or Tasks folders.