To read and process emails in Paperbox, you first need to grant Paperbox access to Microsoft 365. In the Authentication section of the Microsoft Connector, you choose how Paperbox will access your mailboxes. (Microsoft Learn)
Tip: for option 2 and option 3, you’ll usually need someone with Microsoft Entra admin access (often IT or an external IT partner). (Microsoft Learn)
Step 1 — Go to the authentication screen
Navigate to Workspace Settings via the top-right menu (profile picture).
Open Connectors and click Create connector.
Give the connector a name and choose the type: Microsoft 365.
You’ll land on Authentication, with 3 options.
Step 2 — Choose your authentication method
Option 1 — Sign in as an Individual User (Delegated Access)
When to use?
Ideal for personal or small-team scenarios, or to get started quickly.
What does this mean?
Paperbox acts on behalf of the signed-in user and can only access mailboxes that user already has access to. (Microsoft Learn)
Very important — no access to other users’ personal mailboxes
With delegated access, Paperbox has no access to the personal mailboxes of other users if your account doesn’t have permission. In other words: in this mode, Paperbox can’t see anything you can’t open yourself. (Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
How to set it up
Click Sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
Sign in and grant consent.
After a successful connection, you return to Paperbox and you’ll see the connector is connected via the signed-in account.
Note
If this user is removed or loses permissions, Paperbox can no longer read the mailbox(es) through this connection.
Shared mailboxes/folders only work if the signed-in user has explicit access (e.g., shared/delegated). (Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
Option 2 — Connect for the Entire Organization (Admin access)
When to use?
Ideal for automated processing across the organization (not dependent on one user).
What does this mean?
This is app-only (organization-wide) access: Paperbox gets access as an application, independent of a signed-in user. (Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
How to set it up
Click Grant admin consent for organization.
Sign in with an Entra/IT admin account and grant consent. (Microsoft Learn)
Return to Paperbox; the connector is now authorized organization-wide.
Security / scope (recommended)
By default, app-only access can be broad. If you want tighter control, restrict Paperbox to only the mailboxes you explicitly allow via a mail-enabled security group + Application Access Policy. (support.paperbox.ai / Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
Option 3 — Use Your Own Azure App Credentials
When to use?
For organizations that prefer to manage their own Microsoft Entra app registration (permissions, secret/certificate, rotation, auditing), and where IT requires a “customer-owned app”.
What does this mean?
This is also app-only access (client credentials flow): Paperbox authenticates using your own Entra app identity, without an interactive login. (Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
How to set it up
Enable Use Your Own Azure App Credentials.
Fill in the details Paperbox requests from your Entra app registration (e.g., Tenant ID, Client ID and a secret).
Have IT assign the correct Microsoft Graph permissions and grant admin consent. (Microsoft Learn)
Verify the connection is successful in Paperbox.
Limit scope (recommended)
Just like option 2, you can restrict access to a set of mailboxes via an Application Access Policy. (support.paperbox.ai / Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
Step 3 — Next steps after authentication
After connecting, configure:
Which mailboxes Paperbox is allowed to read.
Inflow rules (which Paperbox Inbox emails should go to).
Outflow rules (what happens to emails after actions like approve/send back/delete). (support.paperbox.ai)
Common questions and issues
“I don’t see the organization option / I can’t grant admin consent.”
You’re probably not signed in with an account that has Entra/Exchange admin rights. (Microsoft Learn)
“The connector is connected, but I don’t see any emails yet.”
It can take a few minutes to initialize after connecting.
“Can Paperbox access colleagues’ mailboxes via option 1?”
No—not personal mailboxes the signed-in user doesn’t have rights to. Option 1 stays within that user’s delegated permissions. (Microsoft Learn) (Microsoft Learn)
Need help?
If you get stuck or notice something isn’t working correctly, contact us at [email protected] or click the support bubble in the bottom-right corner of the screen.