Mimecast for Outlook - Preferences

This article contains information on customizing Mimecast for Outlook, including configuring preferences, resizing panels, managing notifications, viewing messages, understanding message icons, and removing the Smart Search bar for a streamlined experience.

Introduction

You can customize the look and feel of the Mimecast for Outlook application by configuring your preferences. These configuration changes are on a machine / device (not user / account) basis. You can change:

• The visual appearance of the application (e.g., color).
• The position of the message reading pane, or hide it completely.
• Panel size.

Configuring Preference Settings

You can change the visual appearance of the application by using the following steps:

1. Click on the Mimecast ribbon in Microsoft Outlook.
2. Select Account Settings.
3. Click on Preferences.
4. Select one of the following values from the Color Theme drop-down.

Value	Example Color
Default
Dark
Light

The Color Theme option is unavailable if your Mimecast account has branding enabled.

5. Select one of the following values from the Reading Pane drop-down:

This option doesn't apply to the Bounces and Rejections view, as these only display the message properties and content.

Value	Example
Right
Bottom
Off

6. Select the Disable On Hold Notifications check box to disable users' notifications for any held messages. (This is optional).
7. Click on Save.

Resizing Panels

Users can resize the different panels of the Mimecast for Outlook application. This includes the following:

• Left-hand menu panel.
• Message summary panel.
• Message reading panel.

Each panel has a splitter bar. Columns can also be resized by:

• Clicking on the Splitter Bar between two panels.
• Dragging the Splitter Bar to a new location.

Status Panel

Once the Mimecast for Outlook software has been installed, and you are authenticated, the following changes are made to your Microsoft Outlook user interface:

• A Mimecast ribbon is added with access to the Mimecast for Outlook functionality. 
• A Status Bar displays additional information about the connectivity to Mimecast and the status of the Mimecast for Outlook add-on.
• Notifications are displayed to provide additional information regarding connectivity or potential communication issues.

Ribbon

The ribbon displayed below is available from inside Microsoft Outlook:

You may only have access to some of the options above. The Mimecast Service determines the options your company has purchased and the functionality your administrator has assigned you.

Status Panel

The status panel is displayed in the top right-hand corner of the Mimecast for Outlook add-on window. It displays the following icons:

Icon	Description
	Opens a new message window in Microsoft Outlook.
or	Indicates if Continuity mode has been enabled or disabled.
	Indicates current connections to Mimecast, such as when an Archive search is running.

Notifications

All notifications are displayed in two locations.

• A pop-up notification is in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen:

  

• The notification panel in Mimecast for Outlook is displayed by clicking the Mimecast for Outlook icon in your Windows taskbar (see below). A popup notification panel is displayed on the right hand of your screen.

  

Right-clicking the Mimecast for Outlook icon in your Windows taskbar displays a popup menu providing additional functionality access.

Notification Characteristics

Notifications are displayed with one of the following color-coded icons:

Icon	Description	Transient	Example
	Information	Yes	To inform you of a change (e.g. entering continuity mode).
	Success	Yes	To inform you of an event's success (e.g. sending a message using the Large File Send functionality).
	Progress	No	To inform you of an event's progress (e.g. uploading a Large File Send attachment, exporting messages).
	Error	No	To make you aware that action must be taken.

Notifications have the following characteristics:

• Information and Success notifications are displayed only five seconds before disappearing.
• Progress and Error notifications remain on the screen until they are dismissed by clicking the "X" to the right of them.
• Notifications requiring an action (e.g. an expired cloud password) contain a link to take the end user directly to the area where the action is required (e.g. the authentication dialog).

Messages in a Window

By default, a message's content is displayed in the same panel of the Mimecast for Outlook client as the folder's contents. You can display a message in a separate window to allow you to see its content better. How you do this depends on the Mimecast for Outlook version being used.

You can open a message in a separate window by using one of the following methods:

• Double-clicking the message.

• Click on a message, and click on the popup message icon.

  
• Select a message and press the Enter button.

Message View Icons (Online Inbox)

This section describes the icons displayed against messages when they're displayed in a message list view (e.g., when the reading pane is not displayed).

When messages are displayed in a list view, a set of columns on the left-hand side display additional details about each message. These columns display one of the icons listed below:

Icon	Description
	The message's contents were encrypted before they were delivered to us.
	The message has been signed before it was delivered to us.
	The message has been sent (or received) using our secure messaging functionality.
	The message contains one or more attachments.

Removing the Mimecast Smart Search bar in Outlook

When Mimecast for Outlook is installed, a second Mimecast Smart Search bar is placed in Microsoft Outlook at the top of the message list. This can be confusing to end-users and can generate Help Desk calls.

You can remove the second Smart Search bar, by using the following steps:
1. Navigate to Users & Groups | Applications.
2. Click on an existing Application Settings Definition.
3. Scroll to the Outlook | Mimecast for Outlook Settings section.
4. Uncheck the Enable Outlook Message List Smart Search Bar box.
5. Click Save and Exit.
6. Wait 15 minutes to see the change in Microsoft Outlook.