I can’t figure out how to download the Asana Outlook add-on for the desktop version of Outlook 2016. When I follow the instructions at Asana for Outlook • Asana I’m taken to outlook.com to install the web-version (which I don’t want, or at least not on my outlook.com account). How can a simple thing like downloading a file become so time-consuming?
Hello Christoph,
I am having the same issue. I spent some time researching how to get Asana Add-in to Outlook. And I believe, the issue on our end is that we have office 365, but we don’t have MS Exchange online, so in other words, it seems to me that you can only use Asana Add-in with MS Exchange email account and related Outlook desktop app.
Asana team, is this correct?
Think this is more Microsoft related than Asana related. I’ve installed the Asana addon in the web interface and had to restart my Outlook to see the Asana addon being present in the desktop app.
I do have MS Exchange, but not Office 365.
If that is so, my setup should work. But I suspect that it may only work with Office 365 and not with any other Exchange server. That would be a bummer. Either way, the Asana web-page would be very misleading as it suggests that there is an add-on that for the desktop version.
Hi, I have the same issue. I use Outlook 365 with imap and the Office Addin Store ist grey out, so that I can not open the store.
@Marie can you confirm this? Does the Asana Outlook Addin only work with the exchange server and not with imap server?
Or is there a workaround to install?
Hi @OSTMOST, it’s actually the other way around. The Asana addin for Outlook is not compatible with Exchange Server (you can learn more in the “Compatibility” section of Microsoft documentation: Find the right app | Microsoft AppSource).
If the addin is grayed out, it might not have been whitelisted by your Admin? If so, you might find the articles I’ve listed here useful:
1 Like
Just to elaborate on Marie’s post: as I understand it, the Asana Outlook add-in requires an Office 365 account (Home or Work), and so it does not work with either a non-Office-365 Exchange Server account (meaning no 3rd party Exchange Servers and no on-premise Exchange Servers) or with a non-Office-365 IMAP account.
1 Like
this is curious. I am using Office 365 Home with Imap email Servers. And I am myself the admin. So if i understand you @Phil_Seeman @Marie it should work. But look at my screenshot. I can´t enter the Office Store within outlook. It is greyed out and not reachable.
with google I found these articles where is said, that the office store only works with exchange email server connection:
http://tinyw.in/eQq2
http://tinyw.in/uYvH
Isn´t there a downable COM-Add-In from Asana that I can install manually?
So did you know any help what I can do to use the outlook add in on my desktop outlook.?
and here at the official ms page is written, that you need Exchange 2013 or 2016 to use Outlook Add-Ins:
Hinweis: Wenn die Schaltfläche Add-Ins verwalten (bzw. Apps verwalten ) nicht angezeigt wird, können Sie keine Add-Ins für Outlook abrufen. Um diese abzurufen, benötigen Sie Office 2013 oder Office 2016 und Exchange 2013 oder Exchange 2016, und der Administrator muss Add-Ins für Outlook aktivieren.
Thanks for your reply @OSTMOST. I think the first issue to solve here, is your access to the Microsoft Store. Unfortunately, this is a Microsoft issue, and I don’t have either the knowledge or tool to troubleshoot it, so I would recommend reaching out to Microsoft to solve this issue. Once you have access to the Store, we’ll be more than happy to help you with the Asana Addin!
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Outlook integration - support for on-premises exchange server?
Hi @Marie, thanks for your fast reply. I understand your point. But my point is to make you sensitive for that problem. I think ASANA would likely offer the Outlook Addin for all ASANA users. And there are for sure a lot of customers who are using my configuration Outlook 365 desktop client with imap servers. And all these people can not use the Asana plug in. I.e. Wunderlist solved this issue through an downloadable COM-IN-Addin, have a look here:
https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/wunderlist-for-outlook-add-in/
this works quite well since years in my outlook. So I do not think that my problem is a prob of my special configiguration, it is a conceptional issue of how the addin is provided.
Do you understand my point?
1 Like
Hi do @OSTMOST and I appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately due to technical reasons, I don’t believe this is planned in the near future; but we will definitely keep it in mind as we work toward improving this integration.
I’ve gone ahead and moved your last post to this other thread (Outlook integration - support for on-premises exchange server?) which is more relevant to your feedback; hope that’s ok! Feel free to add your vote to this thread too!
Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback with us Dennis, we really appreciate it!
Hi @Marie, this is definitly the wrong thread. I do not know you understand me right. I do not use an on-premises exchange server. I use an standard imap server. And if you use a standard POP or IMAP Server (how a lot of people) Microsoft did not allow access to the Office Store vio Outlook, I do not know why. and for sure this is a Microsoft issue. But if ASANA wants to give his users a outlook tool which most of the people can not install, i ask you what is the sense? And it will be very good to communicate in your official to do pages, with wich configuration the add in works, so that the users did not have to spend so many time to look for the issue why it does not work.
Just moved it back to the initial thread. Apologies for the confusion!
Hi @OSTMOST,
First, let me apologize; I was wrong when I said
I had thought that all Office 365 plans used Exchange Server but now I see that only the Office 365 Business plans (and not even all tiers of Office 365 Business) use Exchange Server.
@Marie, FYI this page is a good reference for what all of the Office 365 plans are (Home, Business, Enterprise) and which ones include Exchange Server and thus can work with the Asana add-in (the “Services Included” section of each plan shows whether it includes Exchange or not):
https://products.office.com/en-us/compare-all-microsoft-office-products?tab=2
Second, Dennis, as to
The reason is that Microsoft has provided two completely different technologies for adding into Outlook. The older technology is COM Add-ins; a COM Add-in is an application that’s installed directly on a user’s Windows PC. The newer technology is called Office Add-ins and here the code is web-based and is initiated from a server; for Office 365 that server is Exchange.
Microsoft has now put all of its developer eggs in the Office Add-ins basket; while it’s still possible to write and distribute COM Add-ins, Microsoft is pushing the use of Office Add-ins and basically has stopped doing any work on COM Add-in technology. (If you want a technical description of the advantages of Office Addins, you can find one here.)
I’m not privy to Asana’s decision-making but can speculate as to two reasons why they chose the path they did. First because Office Add-ins are the preferred technology to use these days per Microsoft edict, and second, remember that Asana’s current focus is on teams and enterprises, and it’s pretty likely that those teams/organizations using Outlook are running against an Exchange Server. To provide both a COM Add-in and an Office Add-in solution would have required essentially twice the development effort, and so they chose the technology that they assessed would best fit their target market. Again that’s just my speculation.
Lastly, Dennis, there is a 3rd party COM Add-in-based solution for Asana which you might want to check out:
@James_Carl can help you with any Sendana-related questions you might have.
5 Likes
@Phil_Seeman thanks a lot for that clear discription. i can fully follow you. now i can go another way.
@Marie it would be very helpfull that this configuration needs or restriction would be clearly pointed out by Asana at the product page and and launch. i.e. with a miniumum requirement table. So that people like me do not have to heavily investigate why it is not working and spend a lot of time for that.
3 Likes
@Phil_Seeman thank you for the call out. @OSTMOST in talking to my programmer there may be a day that we re-write Sendana from a .com add-in but the shear flexibiity and power of Sendana for those who have no problem running from their local machine is overwhelming compared the the newly migrating alternatives that utilize the web base require Exchange platform. Sendana will be releasing its new addition to be able to create subtasks to tasks and subtasks as well as add emails to existing tasks or subtasks as comments. In the meantime, it does not require the use of exchange and can be used with IMAP accounts. It has tremendous flexibility in look ups and choosing of attachments. It is collapsible and has a number of options for the user. As you can see from the expanded pop-up there are numerous features. The multitude of features may tend to scare some people as complex but Sendana is written to remember last Organization, last Team and last Project and their is no searching for the populated fields as they are hiarcheal drop downs of the Organization, Team and Project selected. Their also are numerous items that can be created on the fly like Sections and Tags. So I guess what I am trying to say for the time being I do not believe on a feature by feature basis which then translates into saved timed Sendana leads the pack. Thanks
2 Likes
Install an add-in from the Office Store
- In Outlook, click Home > Get Add-ins on the ribbon.
- On the Add-Ins for Outlook page, browse for the add-in you want by selecting All and scrolling through the list, or search for an add-in by using the Search box.