Enable incoming e-mail support for a list or library

Before a list or library can receive e-mail, the site owner must enable and configure incoming e-mail support for the list or library.

What do you want to do?

Overview

Enable and configure e-mail settings for a library

Enable and configure e-mail settings for an announcements list

Enable and configure e-mail settings for a calendar list

Enable and configure e-mail settings for a discussion board

Overview

In Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, a site owner can enable and configure incoming e-mail support for the following:

• Document, picture, or form library

• Announcements list

• Calendar list

• Discussion board

• Blog

When you create a list or library, you can enable incoming e-mail support for any of these types of lists or libraries, if incoming e-mail support is enabled in Central Administration. This procedure includes specifying the e-mail address for the list or library. However, all other configuration options are set to the default values when you create a list or library.

Notes: 

• You cannot add content to lists or libraries in Meeting Workspace sites by sending e-mail.

• To enable or configure incoming e-mail support for a list or library, you must have the Manage Lists permission on the list or library. The Manage Lists permission is granted by default to the Site name owners SharePoint group.

The steps for changing the e-mail settings on a list or library vary by list or library type. The following sections provide the steps to enable and configure incoming e-mail support for the list and library types listed above.

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Enable and configure e-mail settings for a library

Do the following to enable and configure the e-mail settings for a document, picture, or form library.

1. Open the library for which you want to enable and configure e-mail settings.

2. On the Settings menu , click Document Library Settings, Picture Library Settings, or Form Library Settings, depending on the type of library you are enabling and configuring.

3. Under Communications, click Incoming e-mail settings.

   Note: The Incoming e-mail settings link is not available if incoming e-mail support is not enabled in Central Administration.

4. In the E-Mail section, click Yes to enable this library to receive e-mail.

5. In the E-mail address box, type a unique name to use as part of the e-mail address for this library.

6. In the E-Mail Attachments section, choose where to save and how to group e-mail attachments in this library, and then choose whether to overwrite files with the same name.

   If you choose not to overwrite files with the same name and then later attempt to save a file with the same name as one that already exists in the library, four random digits are appended to the file name for the new attachment. If this action fails, a globally unique identifier (GUID) is appended to the file name. If neither of these actions can produce a unique file name, the attachment is discarded.

7. In the E-Mail Message section, choose whether to save the original e-mail message in this library.

   If you choose Yes, the original message is saved as a separate item in the library.

8. In the E-Mail Meeting Invitations section, choose whether to save attachments to your meeting invitations in this library.

9. In the E-Mail Security section, choose whether to archive e-mail from only members of the site who can write to the library or to archive regardless of who sends the e-mail.

   Important: Archiving e-mail from all senders allows everyone (including unauthenticated users) to write to your library. Because of the potential security risk, you should give this option careful consideration.

10. Click OK to save your settings.

Note: Selecting Yes to this option archives files attached to your meeting invitations to the document library. Note that e-mail handlers are not aware of other lists that you send any particular piece of e-mail to. If you send a meeting invitation to both the calendar and a document library, the meeting request is archived in the calendar list and any attachments associated with the meeting request are archived in the document library.

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Enable and configure e-mail settings for an announcements list

1. Open the announcements list for which you want to enable and configure incoming e-mail support.

2. Click Settings, and then click List Settings.

3. Under Communications, click Incoming e-mail settings.

   Note: The Incoming e-mail settings link is not available if incoming e-mail support is not enabled in Central Administration.

4. In the E-Mail section, choose Yes to enable this list to receive e-mail, and then type the alias that you want to use to send e-mail to this list.

5. In the E-Mail Attachments section, choose whether you want to archive the e-mail attachments in this list.

   Note: If you choose No, e-mail attachments will be discarded.

6. In the E-Mail Message section, choose whether to save the original e-mail in this list.

   If you choose Yes, the original e-mail is saved as an attachment.

7. In the E-Mail Meeting Invitations section, choose whether to archive meeting invitations that were sent as e-mail in this list.

   Choosing Yes for this option provides a way to archive your meeting invitations to the Announcements list. Note that because e-mail handlers are not aware of which other lists you send e-mail to, you can send a meeting invitation both to the e-mail address of the calendar and to the e-mail address of the Announcements list (choosing Yes for this setting). This way, the meeting request will appear in both the calendar and the Announcements list.

8. In the E-Mail Security section, choose whether to accept e-mail from only members of the site who can write to the list or to accept e-mail regardless of who sends the e-mail.

   Important: Archiving e-mail from all senders allows everyone (including unauthenticated users) to write to your library. Because of the potential security risk, you should give this option careful consideration.

9. Click OK to save your settings.

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Enable and configure e-mail settings for a calendar list

1. Open the Calendar list for which you want to enable and configure incoming e-mail support.

2. Click Settings, and then click List Settings.

3. Under Communications, click Incoming e-mail settings.

   Note: The Incoming e-mail settings link is not available if incoming e-mail support is not in Central Administration.

4. In the E-Mail section, choose Yes to enable this list to receive e-mail, and then type the alias that you want to use to send e-mail to this list.

5. In the E-Mail Attachments section, choose whether you want this list to archive e-mail attachments.

   Note: If you choose No, e-mail attachments will be discarded.

6. In the E-Mail Security section, choose whether to archive e-mail from only members of the site who can write to the list or to accept e-mail regardless of who sends the e-mail.

   Important: Archiving e-mail from all senders allows everyone (including unauthenticated users) to write to your library. Because of the potential security risk, you should give this option careful consideration.

7. Click OK to save your settings.

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Enable and configure e-mail settings for a discussion board

1. Open the discussion board for which you want to enable and configure incoming e-mail support.

2. Click Settings, and then click List Settings.

3. Under Communications, click Incoming e-mail settings.

   Note: The Incoming e-mail settings link is not available if incoming e-mail support is not enabled in Central Administration.

4. In the E-Mail section, choose Yes to enable this list to receive e-mail, and then type the alias that you want to use to send e-mail to this site.

5. In the E-Mail Attachments section, choose whether you want this list to archive e-mail attachments.

   Note: If you choose No, e-mail attachments will be discarded.

6. In the E-Mail Message section, choose whether to save the original e-mail message in this list.

   If you choose Yes, the original e-mail message is saved as an attachment.

7. In the E-Mail Meeting Invitations section, choose whether to save meeting invitations that were sent as e-mail in this list.

   Choosing Yes for this option provides a way to archive your meeting invitations to the discussion board. Note that because e-mail handlers are not aware of which other lists you send e-mail to, you can send a meeting invitation both to the e-mail address of the calendar and to the e-mail address of a discussion board (choosing Yes to this setting). This way, the meeting request will appear in both the calendar and the discussion board.

8. In the E-Mail Security section, choose whether to archive e-mail from only members of the site who can write to the list or to accept e-mail regardless of who sends the e-mail.

   Important: Archiving e-mail from all senders allows everyone (including unauthenticated users) to write to your library. Because of the potential security risk, you should give this option careful consideration.

9. Click OK to save your settings.

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See Also

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