How do I import contracts from Outlook / Microsoft 365 via email?

Contracts that arrive by email can be automatically imported into ContractHero -- straight from Outlook or Microsoft 365. This guide walks you through setting up the forwarding, choosing the right method for your setup, and what to keep in mind.

How email import works

Every team in ContractHero has its own import email address. When an email with contract attachments (PDF, EML) is sent or forwarded to this address, ContractHero automatically imports the attachments as new contracts.

You can find your ContractHero import email address here: Settings > Import > Email Import

Which method is right for you?

Before you start, take a quick look at your situation:

Option A: Mail flow rule via Exchange Admin Center

Recommended: This is the cleanest and most reliable approach. The forwarding runs server-side, is centrally managed, and doesn't depend on individual users or their Outlook settings.

Step by step:

1. Open the Exchange Admin Center at https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com and sign in with your admin account.
2. In the left menu, go to Mail flow, then Rules.
3. Click + Add a rule to create a new rule.
4. Define the rule conditions. Common examples:

• Emails sent to contracts@yourcompany.com
• Emails with specific keywords in the subject like "Contract" or "Agreement"
• Emails that contain an attachment

5. Set the action to Redirect the message to or Add additional recipients and enter your ContractHero import email address.
6. Make sure the original email stays in the mailbox and is not replaced.
7. Save the rule.
8. Test by sending an email with a PDF attachment and check whether the contract appears in ContractHero.

Note: The original email stays in Outlook automatically. Just make sure you don't add any "move" or "delete" actions to your rules.

When to use Option A:

• You want to connect multiple mailboxes or recipients to ContractHero.
• You want flexible filtering (e.g. by sender, subject, or label).
• You want to avoid having individual users set up forwarding manually.

Option B: Shared Mailbox

Recommended: This option works well when contract emails are already collected in a central mailbox and you want to connect them without extra admin effort.

Step by step:

1. Identify a shared mailbox, e.g. contracts@yourcompany.com.
2. Make sure all relevant contract emails are sent to this mailbox.
3. Set up forwarding:

• Open the mailbox settings
• Enable forwarding to the ContractHero import address
• Enable the option to keep a copy in the mailbox

4. Optional: Add filter rules to forward only relevant emails.
5. Test by sending an email with an attachment.

Note: Enable "Keep a copy of the message" when setting up forwarding. This ensures the email remains in the mailbox and is also sent to ContractHero.

Option C: Outlook rule (local)

Fallback only: This method depends on the individual user and is less stable because it runs locally in the Outlook client.

Step by step:

1. Open Outlook on your desktop.
2. Go to Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts.
3. Click New Rule.
4. Choose a template or start with a blank rule.
5. Define conditions, e.g.:

• Emails from specific senders
• Subject contains "Contract" or similar terms
• Email contains an attachment

6. Set the action to Forward it to people or public group.
7. Enter the ContractHero import email address.
8. Save the rule and run a test.

Note: With Outlook forwarding rules, the original email stays in your inbox automatically. It is only forwarded as a copy.

Best practices

• Use a dedicated address. Create an email address used only for contract emails, e.g. contracts@yourcompany.com or contractimport@yourcompany.com. Alternatively, you can use a mail distribution group.
• Filter carefully. Don't forward everything from the entire mailbox. Only forward emails that actually contain contracts. Use filters for sender, subject, or attachment type.
• Organize after import. Once imported, you can organize contracts in ContractHero using categories and tags.
• Test regularly. After setup, check from time to time that the forwarding is still working correctly.

What can ContractHero help with?

• We can confirm which import email address you should use, especially if there are multiple addresses per team or category.
• We can clarify specifics around the import process (e.g. EML files only, attachments without email body).

Note: We cannot complete the Outlook forwarding verification on your behalf, because the import address is not a regular inbox. We recommend using Options A or B instead.

FAQ

Are emails without attachments imported?
No. ContractHero only imports emails that contain PDF or EML attachments.

Can I connect multiple Outlook addresses to ContractHero?
Yes. You can create a separate routing rule for each address, forwarding to the same or different ContractHero import addresses.

Do I have to set up forwarding for every user?
No -- if you use the Admin Console route (Option A or B), the rule applies centrally and doesn't need to be configured per user.

What happens to the original email in Outlook?
If you enabled "Keep a copy", the email stays unchanged in your Outlook mailbox. The forwarding to ContractHero happens as a copy.

Summary

Questions about setup? Reach out via chat or email us at support@contracthero.com

Related articles

• How do I import contracts from Gmail / Google Workspace via email?
• How can contracts be uploaded via email?

Updated on: 04/01/2026