Two Outlook Add-ins You Can’t Ignore

Many of you are all too aware that Microsoft’s Outlook is less than perfect. However, if you are like me and stuck in your old Outlook ways, I have two great recommendations that can significantly improve the speed and performance of Outlook. There are many new and not-so-new Outlook add-ins that you can download for free, however my two favorites are Outlook Attachment Remover and YouSendIt’s Outlook Plug-in.

The Outlook Attachment Remover is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to improve Outlook’s performance. This plug-in works by removing attachments from your Outlook files and saving them to your hard drive. What I love about this application is that you can still access your attachments in the same manner as before; however because the large files are removed from Outlook, the client’s speed and performance is greatly improved. In less than five minutes, I was able to automatically free up more than 500MB of storage space. EZDetach offers a low-cost application with additional features; however, I found the free version offered by www.kopf.com.br/outlook/ to be more than adequate.

YouSendIt’s Outlook Plug-in is another great tool for reducing the size of both your Outlook files and the storage space of your recipient’s email client. YouSendIt offers a free service for sending large files via email. The service works by uploading your attachment files and sending a link to your intended recipient so they can download your documents directly from the Web. (The service offers a subscription service with additional features as well). I have used this service in the past; however I was not sold on it until they released their Outlook add-in, which enables me to use the service directly through Outlook. The application is very easy to use; all you have to do is attach a document to an email by clicking on the YouSendIt toolbar within Outlook. The service will automatically upload your documents and directly insert the link in your email message. In addition to improving your Outlook’s performance, your recipients will appreciate the reduced file size of your message.

For more suggestions on how to get the most out of Outlook, I recommend you read Arrow Tips by Misty Khan of Advena Artemis.