Enable incoming e-mail support for a list or library

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

The steps for changing the email settings on a list or library vary by list or library type.

1. Open the list or library for which you want to set up incoming email support.

2. Click Settings, and then:

   • For Document, Picture, or Form libraries, click Document Library Settings, Picture Library Settings, or Form Library Settings.

   • For Discussion boards, Announcement lists, and Calendar lists, click List Settings.

3. Under Communications, click Incoming email settings.

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

4. In the Email section, select Yes to enable this list or library to receive email.

   • For Document, Picture, or Form libraries, in the Email address box, type a unique name to use as part of the email address for this library.

   • For Discussion boards, Announcement lists, and Calendar lists, type the alias that you want to use to send email to this list.

5. In the Email attachments section:

   • For Document, Picture, or Form libraries, choose where to save and how to group email attachments in this library, and then choose whether to overwrite files with the same name.

     Note: 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.

   • For Discussion boards, Announcement lists, and Calendar lists, choose whether you want this list to archive email attachments. If you choose No, email attachments will be discarded.

6. In the Email Message section, choose whether to save the original email message in this list or library. If you choose Yes, the original email message is saved as an attachment (for Discussion boards and Announcement lists) or as a separate item in the library (for Document, Picture, or Form libraries).

7. In the Email Meeting Invitations section:

   • For Document, Picture, or Form libraries, choose whether to save attachments to your meeting invitations in this library.

   • For Discussion boards and Announcement lists, choose whether to archive meeting invitations that were sent as email in this list.

   Note: Choosing Yes for this option provides a way to archive your meeting invitations (for discussion boards or announcement lists) and/or attachments to those invitations (for libraries). Note that because email handlers are not aware of which other lists you send email to, you can send a meeting invitation both to the email address of the calendar and to the email address of a discussion board, announcement list, or library (by choosing Yes to this setting). 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.

8. In the Email Security section, choose whether to archive email from only members of the site who can write to the library or list, or to archive regardless of who sends the email.

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

9. Click OK to save your settings