Microsoft Platform Integration

Connecting your Microsoft account to Propel enables access to multiple Microsoft services through a single OAuth connection. This guide walks you through connecting your Microsoft account, which provides access to Outlook, Outlook Calendar, OneDrive, and SharePoint.

Overview

When you connect your Microsoft account to Propel, you're using OAuth (Open Authorization), a secure authentication method that doesn't require sharing your password. This single connection enables Propel to access:

• Outlook: Read and send emails from your Microsoft 365 or Outlook account
• Outlook Calendar: Access your calendar for booking tours and showings
• OneDrive & SharePoint: Browse and access files for connecting property data sources

Propel only accesses the data you explicitly connect and never stores your password. This is a platform-level integration that enables multiple services through one connection.

Account Types

Propel supports two types of Microsoft accounts:

Personal Microsoft Account:

• Personal Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Live.com accounts
• Full email and calendar access
• OneDrive access for data sources
• Note: Some advanced SharePoint features may not be available

Work or School Account (Microsoft 365 / Azure AD):

• Microsoft 365 business accounts
• Azure Active Directory (AAD) accounts
• Full email, calendar, and OneDrive/SharePoint access
• Shared mailbox support
• Enterprise features and compliance options

Propel automatically detects your account type during the connection process and adjusts available features accordingly.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Propel account with access to an organization
• A Microsoft 365 or Outlook account (personal or work/school)
• Admin or member access to the organization in Propel
• For work/school accounts: Appropriate permissions granted by your IT administrator (if required)

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Navigate to Integrations

1. Log in to your Propel account
2. Select your organization from the dashboard
3. Go to Settings > Integrations

You'll see integration cards for both Microsoft and Google. The Microsoft card shows your current connection status.

Step 2: Connect Your Microsoft Account

1. On the Integrations page, locate the Microsoft integration card
2. Click the "Connect to Microsoft" button

This will redirect you to Microsoft's OAuth consent screen.

Step 3: Sign In to Microsoft

1. You'll be redirected to Microsoft's sign-in page
2. Sign in with the Microsoft 365 or Outlook account you want to connect
3. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, make sure you select the correct one
4. For work or school accounts, you may need to sign in through your organization's login page

Step 4: Review Permissions

Microsoft will show you a consent screen listing the permissions Propel is requesting. These include:

• Mail.ReadWrite: Read and send emails from your mailbox
• Mail.Send: Send emails on your behalf
• Calendars.ReadWrite: See, edit, and manage your calendar events
• User.Read: Access your basic profile information (name, email)
• Files.Read.All: Access files in your OneDrive (for connecting data sources)
• Sites.Read.All: Access SharePoint sites (for work/school accounts, when connecting data sources)
• offline_access: Keep you signed in and refresh tokens automatically

Important: Propel only uses these permissions for the features you enable. For example:

• Mail access is used to monitor your mailbox and send responses
• Calendar access is used to check availability and book tours or showings
• Files and Sites access is only used when you explicitly connect a data source

Step 5: Grant Permissions

1. Review the permissions carefully
2. Click "Accept" or "Consent" to grant access

For Work or School Accounts:

• Your IT administrator may need to approve the app for your organization
• If you see a message about admin consent being required, contact your IT administrator
• Some organizations have policies that restrict third-party app access

For Personal Accounts:

• You can grant permissions directly without admin approval
• If you see a warning about "unverified app," this is normal for apps in development. Propel uses secure OAuth authentication and only accesses data you explicitly connect.

Step 6: Return to Propel

After granting permissions, you'll be automatically redirected back to Propel's Integrations page. You should see:

• A green "Connected" badge on the Microsoft integration card
• Your account email address displayed
• Your account type (Personal Microsoft Account or Work/School Account)
• The date when the connection was established

Verifying Your Connection

After connecting, verify everything is working:

1. Check the Microsoft integration card shows "Connected" status
2. Confirm your email address is displayed correctly
3. Verify your account type is shown (Personal or Work/School)
4. Note the connection date for reference

If you see any errors or the connection doesn't appear, see the Troubleshooting section below.

What Happens Next

Once your Microsoft account is connected, you can:

1. Set up a mailbox: Go to Settings > Mailboxes to create a mailbox that Propel will monitor for incoming emails
2. Use Outlook Calendar: Propel automatically has access to your Outlook Calendar for booking tours and showings. See Outlook Calendar Integration for details
3. Connect OneDrive/SharePoint data sources: If you have property listings in Excel files on OneDrive or SharePoint, you can connect them at Settings > Data Sources

Managing Your Connection

Viewing Connection Details

On the Integrations page, you can see:

• Your connected email address
• Account type (Personal Microsoft Account or Work/School Account)
• Connection date
• Connection status

Refreshing Your Connection

If your connection expires or you need to refresh permissions:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations
2. Click "Refresh" on the Microsoft integration card
3. Follow the OAuth flow again to refresh your tokens

Note: If you see a message that your connection needs additional permissions, click "Re-authenticate" to grant the missing permissions.

Disconnecting Your Account

To disconnect your Microsoft account:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations
2. Click "Disconnect" on the Microsoft integration card
3. Confirm the disconnection

Note: Disconnecting will stop Propel from accessing your Microsoft account and may affect any mailboxes or data sources connected to this account.

Work or School Account Considerations

If you're using a Microsoft 365 work or school account, there are additional considerations:

Admin Consent

Some organizations require IT administrator approval before third-party apps can access company data. If you see a message about admin consent:

1. Contact your IT administrator
2. Provide them with Propel's app details
3. They can grant organization-wide consent in the Azure AD portal

Shared Mailboxes

Propel supports shared mailboxes for work or school accounts. To use a shared mailbox:

1. Ensure you have access to the shared mailbox in Outlook
2. When setting up a mailbox in Propel, you can select the shared mailbox
3. Propel will monitor and respond from the shared mailbox

Security Policies

Your organization may have security policies that:

• Restrict access to certain data
• Require additional authentication steps
• Limit calendar or email access

If you encounter restrictions, contact your IT administrator to understand your organization's policies.

Compliance and Data Residency

For enterprise customers, Propel respects:

• Data residency requirements
• Compliance standards (GDPR, SOC 2, etc.)
• Your organization's data handling policies

Contact support if you have specific compliance requirements.

Troubleshooting

Connection Fails or Redirects to Error Page

Possible causes:

• Network connectivity issues
• Browser blocking redirects
• Organization access issues
• Microsoft service outage

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Try a different browser or clear your browser cache
3. Make sure you're logged into Propel and have access to the organization
4. Check Microsoft's service status page
5. Contact support if the issue persists

"Not a member of organization" Error

This error means your user account isn't associated with the organization you're trying to connect to.

Solutions:

1. Verify you're logged into the correct Propel account
2. Check that you have access to the organization
3. Ask an organization admin to add you as a member
4. Try connecting from a different organization if you have access to multiple

"Authentication failed" Error

This can happen if the OAuth flow is interrupted or if there's an issue with token exchange.

Solutions:

1. Try the connection process again
2. Make sure you complete the entire OAuth flow (don't close the Microsoft consent screen early)
3. Check that you're using a supported browser
4. If the error includes an error ID, note it and contact support

Connection Shows as Expired

If your connection shows as "Expired" after some time:

1. Click "Refresh" on the Microsoft integration card
2. Follow the OAuth flow to refresh your tokens
3. This is normal and may happen periodically for security

"Admin consent required" Message

For work or school accounts, your IT administrator may need to approve Propel for your organization.

Solutions:

1. Contact your IT administrator
2. Provide them with Propel's app registration details
3. They can grant consent in the Azure AD admin portal
4. Once approved, try connecting again

Can't See the Connect Button

Possible causes:

• You don't have permission to manage integrations
• The page hasn't loaded correctly

Solutions:

1. Refresh the page
2. Verify you have admin or member role in the organization
3. Check with your organization admin about permissions

Missing Permissions Warning

If you see a warning that your connection is missing required permissions:

1. Click "Re-authenticate" on the Microsoft integration card
2. Review and grant all requested permissions
3. Make sure you click "Accept" for all permission requests

Note: For work or school accounts, some permissions may require admin approval.

Microsoft Shows "Unverified App" Warning

This is normal for apps that haven't completed Microsoft's verification process. Propel uses secure OAuth authentication and only accesses data you explicitly connect.

What this means:

• Propel is a legitimate application
• Your data is secure
• You can safely proceed with the connection

For Work or School Accounts:

• Your IT administrator can verify the app in Azure AD
• Once verified, the warning will no longer appear

Security and Privacy

How OAuth Works

OAuth is an industry-standard authentication method that:

• Never requires your password
• Uses secure tokens that can be revoked at any time
• Only grants the specific permissions you approve
• Allows you to see and manage access in your Microsoft account settings

What Propel Accesses

Propel only accesses:

• Emails from mailboxes you explicitly configure
• Calendar events for calendars you select
• OneDrive or SharePoint files you connect as data sources
• Your basic profile information (name, email) for account identification

Revoking Access

You can revoke Propel's access at any time:

1. From Propel: Disconnect the account in Settings > Integrations
2. From Microsoft:
   • Go to your Microsoft Account settings
   • Navigate to Privacy > Apps and services
   • Find Propel and remove access
   • For work/school accounts, contact your IT administrator

Token Security

• OAuth tokens are stored securely on Propel's servers
• Tokens are encrypted in transit and at rest
• Tokens automatically refresh when they expire
• Tokens are deleted immediately when you disconnect

Enterprise Security

For work or school accounts, Propel supports:

• Conditional access policies
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Audit logging
• Data loss prevention (DLP) policies

Contact support to discuss enterprise security requirements.

Differences from Gmail Integration

While both Gmail and Microsoft 365 integrations work similarly, there are some key differences:

Account Types:

• Microsoft supports both personal and work/school accounts with different features
• Gmail supports personal and Google Workspace accounts

Shared Mailboxes:

• Microsoft 365 supports shared mailboxes natively
• Gmail uses Google Groups for shared inboxes

Data Sources:

• Microsoft uses OneDrive and SharePoint
• Gmail uses Google Drive and Google Sheets

Calendar:

• Microsoft uses Outlook Calendar
• Gmail uses Google Calendar

Both integrations provide the same core functionality: email monitoring, automated responses, and calendar booking.

Related Documentation

Service-Specific Guides

• Outlook Calendar Integration - How Propel uses your Outlook Calendar for bookings
• OneDrive & SharePoint Data Source - Connecting property listings from Excel files

Getting Started

• Getting Started - Complete setup guide including mailbox configuration
• Setting Up Your First Mailbox - Next step after connecting your platform

Other Platforms

• Google Platform Integration - If you use Google instead of Microsoft

Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:

• Support Email: partners@propelhq.io
• Documentation: Browse our complete documentation for more guides
• Error Messages: If you see an error with an error ID, include it when contacting support
• Enterprise Support: For work or school accounts, contact support for assistance with admin consent or enterprise features