How to Save Outlook Emails to Trello

You can save Outlook emails to Trello by forwarding them to a Quicktion address linked to your Trello board. Each forwarded email becomes a new card with the subject as the card name and the body as a markdown description. Attachments are uploaded directly to the card. It works with Outlook desktop, web, and mobile.

Why Email Forwarding Is the Best Option for Outlook

Most email-to-Trello tools focus on Gmail. Trello does have a built-in email-to-board feature, but it's limited — you get a per-board address with no control over which list receives the card, no label or member assignment, and inconsistent attachment handling.

Email forwarding through Quicktion gives you more control. You pick the board and list. You set default labels and members. Attachments are uploaded to the card. And the email client doesn't matter — Outlook desktop, Outlook Web, Outlook mobile, Exchange Online — they all forward emails the same way.

Quicktion's Gmail add-on does not work with Outlook. But forwarding works identically across both clients, so Outlook users get the same results. For a broader comparison of all methods, see our complete guide to saving emails to Trello.

Manual Forwarding

The fastest way to start: forward individual emails by hand.

Outlook Desktop (Windows/Mac)

1. Open the email you want to save
2. Click Forward
3. In the To field, paste your Quicktion forwarding address
4. Click Send

Outlook Web (outlook.com / Office 365)

1. Open the email
2. Click the Forward button (or press Ctrl+F)
3. Enter your Quicktion address
4. Click Send

Outlook Mobile

1. Open the email
2. Tap the Forward icon
3. Enter your Quicktion address
4. Tap Send

Within 10-30 seconds, a new card appears in your Trello list with the email content mapped correctly.

Automatic Forwarding with Outlook Rules

Manual forwarding works for one-off saves. For hands-off email-to-Trello, set up Outlook rules to auto-forward matching emails.

Outlook Web / Office 365 Rules

1. Click the Settings gear icon
2. Go to Mail > Rules
3. Click Add new rule
4. Name your rule (e.g., "Forward client emails to Trello")
5. Add conditions (from, subject contains, etc.)
6. Add action: Forward to and enter your Quicktion address
7. Click Save

Rules created in Outlook Web or Exchange Online run server-side. They work even when your desktop client is closed, your laptop is off, or you're on vacation.

Outlook Desktop Rules

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts
2. Click New Rule
3. Choose Apply rule on messages I receive
4. Set conditions:
   • From specific people or groups
   • With specific words in the subject
   • Sent to a specific address
5. Set action: Forward it to and enter your Quicktion address
6. Click Finish

Example Rules for Common Workflows

Client management: Forward all emails from a client domain

• Condition: From = *@clientdomain.com
• Action: Forward to your client board Quicktion address

Support inbox: Forward emails sent to a shared mailbox

• Condition: Sent to support@yourcompany.com
• Action: Forward to your support board Quicktion address

Invoice tracking: Forward billing emails

• Condition: From contains "billing@" or "invoice@"
• Action: Forward to your expenses board Quicktion address

Sales pipeline: Forward emails from leads

• Condition: Subject contains "inquiry" or "demo request"
• Action: Forward to your sales board Quicktion address

Setting Up the Trello Side

Step 1: Create a Quicktion Destination

1. Sign up at quicktion.io
2. Connect your Trello account through the OAuth prompt
3. Create a destination and choose your target board and list
4. Set default labels and members
5. Choose whether cards land at the top or bottom of the list
6. Copy your unique Quicktion forwarding address

Step 2: Design Your Boards

A good Outlook-to-Trello setup depends on what you're tracking. Here are two common board layouts:

Client email tracker

Use labels to tag the source: "Support", "Sales", "Billing". Assign members so the right person sees the card immediately.

Project request board

Step 3: Test Before Going Live

Forward a test email from Outlook to your Quicktion address. Verify the card appears in the right list with the correct name, description, labels, and member assignment. Check that attachments show up on the card. A quick test saves you from discovering a misconfigured destination after dozens of emails have already been processed.

Outlook-Specific Tips

1. Use Exchange Online rules when possible. Rules created in Outlook Web or the Exchange admin center run server-side. Desktop rules only run when Outlook is open. If you need 24/7 forwarding, set up the rule through the web interface.

2. Shared mailboxes work too. If your team uses a shared Outlook mailbox (e.g., sales@yourcompany.com), create a rule on that mailbox to auto-forward to Trello. Every team member sees the cards on the shared board.

3. Watch for admin restrictions. Some organizations restrict external email forwarding through Exchange transport rules. If your forwarding rule doesn't seem to work, check with your IT admin to see if external forwarding is blocked at the organization level.

4. Retention and compliance. Forwarding emails to Trello creates copies outside your Exchange environment. In regulated industries, check with your compliance team before setting up auto-forwarding rules.

5. Outlook categories don't transfer. Outlook categories are local metadata — they don't survive forwarding. Use Quicktion's default labels instead. Set labels on each destination to tag incoming cards automatically.

Quicktion vs Trello's Built-in Email-to-Board

Trello has a native email-to-board feature — each board gets an email address you can forward to. But it's limited:

If you just need to throw emails onto a board and don't care where they land, Trello's built-in feature works. For anything more structured, Quicktion gives you the control you need.

Limitations

There is no Outlook add-on for Quicktion. All saving from Outlook is done through forwarding — either manually or with rules. You can't edit fields before saving the way you can with the Gmail add-on. Card defaults are applied automatically based on your destination configuration, which works well for structured workflows but doesn't allow per-email adjustments.

If you also use Gmail, you can use both the add-on and forwarding together. They share the same destinations, so everything lands on the same Trello boards. See our Gmail to Trello integration guide for the add-on setup.

Get Started

Sign up for Quicktion and create your first Trello destination. Then set up an Outlook rule to start forwarding emails automatically. The whole setup takes about five minutes. The free plan includes 25 emails per month.

Related Guides

• How to Forward Emails to Trello Automatically — detailed auto-forwarding setup for Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail
• Gmail to Trello Integration Guide — if you also use Gmail and want the one-click add-on
• How to Save Emails to Trello (3 Methods Compared) — overview of forwarding, Gmail add-on, and Trello's email-to-board
• How to Save Outlook Emails to Notion — if you use Notion instead of Trello
• Save Emails to Trello — landing page with full feature overview