Using the Outlook Add-in

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Part 2: Draftable Clean Outlook add-in

The Draftable Clean add-in runs directly inside Microsoft Outlook and automatically cleans attachments as you compose emails. Attach files and compose your email as you normally would. Draftable Clean applies your organisation’s cleaning rules and send-protection settings. Review the status in the pane before sending: Cleaned means cleaning completed, while Skipped means a Skip Cleaning rule left the file unchanged. Open Manage Attachments in the Outlook ribbon at any time to view cleaning progress and access the options below.

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Changing the add-in language

Draftable Clean supports multiple languages including English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 日本語, Nederlands, Polski, Português, Svenska, and Tagalog. Open the add-in pane and click the globe icon at the bottom of the panel to select your preferred language.

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Automatic profile switching based on recipients

Draftable Clean intelligently adjusts the cleaning profile based on recipient email domains. Domain rules are configured in Settings > Add-In and determine which cleaning profile is applied. For example, a typical configuration might be:

• No recipients entered — A default profile such as Standard Clean is used
• Internal recipients (e.g. colleague@yourfirm.com) — A lighter profile such as Clean Draft that preserves tracked changes and comments
• External recipients (e.g. contact@externalfirm.com) — A stricter profile such as Standard Clean

These are examples. Administrators and users can customise the no-recipient default and map domains to cleaning profiles in Settings > Add-In. See Metadata cleaning profiles.

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Skip Cleaning

With Draftable Clean 26.10.0 or later and Outlook add-in 1.12.110.0 or later, choose Skip Cleaning (do not clean) for the no-recipient default or a domain rule in Settings > Add-In. Attachments covered by Skip Cleaning show Skipped and are sent unchanged. For domain rules, skipping applies only when every recipient resolves to a skip rule. If any recipient matches a cleaning rule or no rule, cleaning takes precedence. Keep Default (all other domains) assigned to a cleaning profile, such as Standard Clean. Skip Cleaning does not remove metadata. If removal is required, use a cleaning profile.

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When recipients change

When you add or change recipients, a banner appears: “Recipients changed — re-cleaning attachments with updated profile.” You can click Review Attachments to check the changes. As attachments are cleaned, the panel shows cleaning progress or identifies if tracked changes or comments are present.

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Updating the file profile

If enabled by your administrator in Settings > Add-In, you can override the cleaning profile for individual files using the per-file Profile dropdown in the add-in pane.

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Converting attachments to PDF

Supported Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachments can be converted to PDF from the add-in panel. Click Convert to PDF on an attachment to flag it — the file is converted automatically when cleaning completes. Once conversion is complete, the panel updates to reflect the cleaned and converted attachments. If tracked changes or comments were present on a file and removed in PDF conversion, the notification reverts to showing the total number of files cleaned.

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Renaming attachments

After cleaning, you can rename files directly in the Draftable Clean panel. Click the pencil icon next to a file name to edit it inline.

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Unsupported file types

If you attach a file in a format Draftable Clean does not support, the Draftable Clean panel displays an “Unsupported format” status with the message: “This file type cannot be cleaned. See Knowledge Base.” Unsupported files do not block sending by default — this behavior is configurable in Settings > Add-In > Send Protection.

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Password-protected files

If you attach a password-protected file, it shows “Password protected” with the message: “Enter the document password to clean this file.” Enter the password in the provided field and click Unlock to authenticate and clean the file. If the password is incorrect, an “Incorrect password. Please try again.” message is displayed. Re-enter the correct password and click Unlock again. Once the correct password is provided, the file is cleaned automatically and shows the same “Cleaned” status as your other files.

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Inserting an attachment list or table

Click Insert Attachment Summary to add a formatted summary into the email body. Earlier screenshots below show the former Insert Attachment List label. The button includes a dropdown arrow with two format options:

• List — A bullet-point list of attachment names

• Table — A table with Attachment and Description columns

The default format is configurable in Settings > Add-In > Attachment Summary.

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Send protection

Draftable Clean controls what happens when issues are detected on send. By default:

• Attachments not finished cleaning — Sending is blocked with a dialog: “Attachments need review before sending.” The user can click Review to return to the email or Don’t send to cancel.

• Tracked changes or comments detected — The user is prompted with a dialog: “Tracked changes or comments detected.” The user can click Send anyway, Review, or Don’t send.

• Unsupported attachment types — Sending is allowed

Each scenario can be configured to Allow, Prompt, or Block in Settings > Add-In > Send Protection. Unsupported attachments include attached emails and ZIP archives whose contents cannot all be checked. They follow the unsupported-attachment policy. See Outlook troubleshooting if attachments are duplicated, remain pending, or fail to clean.

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New Outlook settings

In the desktop app, open Settings > Add-In > New Outlook (beta). Clean attachments in New Outlook is on by default unless your administrator has configured it otherwise. Turning it off disables both attachment cleaning and pre-send checks in New Outlook for Windows. The pane explains that Clean is off. This switch does not affect Classic Outlook, Outlook on the web, or Outlook for Mac. You may need to open a new email after changing it. If the setting is locked, contact your administrator. Use desktop 26.10.0 or later and add-in 1.12.110.0 or later for this setting. New Outlook support remains in beta.

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Email size limits

The add-in reads your organisation’s Microsoft 365 mailbox size limit where available. If an attachment would exceed the limit, a message explains the failure. Remove attachments or reduce their size, then retry and check the pane before sending. This lookup uses existing permissions and does not require new consent. On-premises Exchange retains its existing behaviour.