If you’re a Microsoft Outlook user wondering why you still have to manually attach documents to messages when they’re already stored on Google Drive, or upload photos that you’ve already posted on Facebook, you’re in luck – Microsoft Corp. has added support for Google Drive and Facebook photos to Outlook.
The new features allow users to log into their Google Drive or Facebook accounts from Outlook, and upload files or photos using the same interface they currently use to upload files saved on Microsoft’s own cloud storage service, OneDrive.
“In recent years, one of the biggest advancements in Outlook has been the ability to share and edit files stored in the cloud right from your inbox,” Microsoft’s Outlook team wrote in a Sept. 15 blog post announcing the new features.
But while the Outlook mobile app has long supported third-party storage services including Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive, the new feature represents the first time Outlook’s Windows and online users will be able to use the program to access files stored on Google’s servers.
To add Google Drive to your Outlook account, simply compose a new message and click the attachment icon. Next, select Google Drive and enter your account information. Once logged in, your Google Drive will appear as a source when attaching files.
In addition to attaching files from Google Drive, Outlook users can now also open a Google Doc, Slide or Sheet without opening a new window, and even edit documents on Google Drive without leaving Outlook.
The steps for connecting a Facebook account to Outlook, meanwhile, are the same as connecting an account to Google Drive – simply click on the attachment icon after creating a new message and enter your Facebook information. Once connected, you’ll be able to browse your Facebook photos and attach individual shots to messages, with Outlook dividing your pictures into “Photos of me” – ones you’ve been tagged in – and “My photos,” the ones you’ve uploaded.
Facebook has long attached public links to album photos, allowing them to be sent to non-Facebook users, and it’s presumably these links that are attached to messages.
