Switch From harmon.ie Classic to New harmon.ie – Best Practices

New harmon.ie is available as a modern Outlook add-in that works with all versions of Outlook (Outlook for Windows (new and classic), Outlook on the Web, and Outlook for Mac), and as a desktop app for Windows that runs independently of Outlook. It offers a refreshed UI, email automation, improved cross-platform support, and simple deployment with automatic updates, making it easier than ever to manage your emails and documents within Microsoft 365.

Learn best practices for transitioning from harmon.ie Classic to New harmon.ie. Discover feature differences, deployment and provisioning strategies, to ensure a seamless switch.

New Capabilities in New harmon.ie

New harmon.ie goes beyond harmon.ie Classic with new capabilities, and more are on the way. The headline addition is email automation: users set rules that save emails to Microsoft 365 automatically, so routine filing happens without manual steps. Email automation is currently in beta. Join the beta, then an administrator sets it up for your organization. See the New harmon.ie roadmap for more of what’s coming.

When to Switch to New harmon.ie?

  • Future-Proof Your Workflow: If your company is transitioning to Outlook for Windows (new) or if you need harmon.ie on Mac, switching ensures continued productivity.
  • Flexible Adoption: Teams can mix and match – some users can continue with harmon.ie Classic, while others migrate to New harmon.ie.
  • Work Side by Side: You don’t need to stop using harmon.ie Classic – both versions can run in parallel. Read harmon.ie Classic and New: Admin Best Practices for Hybrid Use.
  • Try Email Automation: Evaluate New harmon.ie’s email automation, which saves emails to Microsoft 365 automatically using rules. harmon.ie Classic doesn’t offer this.
  • Simpler Deployment and Updates: Enjoy central deployment and automatic updates, with less to maintain than harmon.ie Classic.

What Will Be Different for Users?

1. Feature Set – What’s Still in Progress?

New harmon.ie is feature-ready for email and document management and is actively evolving. Some features are still in progress (for the full comparison, read harmon.ie Feature Comparison: New vs. Classic):

  • Filter by tags or columns
  • View and edit SharePoint lists
  • Drop folders for automatic email upload

2. Opening Saved Emails and PDF Files

harmon.ie Classic saves emails as .msg files. New harmon.ie saves emails as .eml files, which offers better compatibility across platforms.

When a user double-clicks a saved email or PDF in New harmon.ie, harmon.ie asks whether to open it in the browser or a desktop app. Opening in a desktop app uses the app associated with the file type when the harmon.ie Desktop app is installed and running, or the Microsoft OneDrive desktop app otherwise (OneDrive must be installed and the user signed in). See how to open files in desktop apps.

Deployment, Provisioning, and Setup Considerations

1. Deploy New harmon.ie

New harmon.ie is managed and deployed via Microsoft Marketplace and the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, making deployment straightforward and efficient. It benefits from automatic updates, ensuring users always have access to the latest features and security enhancements without manual intervention. Read How to Deploy New harmon.ie: Step-by-step Admin Guide.

New harmon.ie updates automatically, unless a manifest change is required. In such cases, an admin should accept app changes to update the app.

The harmon.ie Desktop app for Windows is deployed separately, from the Microsoft Store or an .msi package. Read how the desktop app is deployed and updated.

2. Provisioning Considerations

As a web add-in, registry keys are not applicable for provisioning New harmon.ie. Instead, an Admin settings tab and a configuration file (.json) are used to define settings. Read Centrally Configure New harmon.ie for All Users to learn more.

3. Email Header Mapping

New harmon.ie can automatically map email headers to SharePoint metadata when saving emails to Teams and SharePoint.

If you previously configured email header mapping or email views in harmon.ie Classic, some adjustments may be required to ensure they function correctly in New harmon.ie:

  • Email Views: If your existing views filter content to display only .msg files, it’s recommended to update them to filter content based on the email content type.
    Alternatively, update them to include .eml files as well as .msg, as this is the format used by New harmon.ie.
  • Email Header Mapping: If you use custom column names for storing email headers, you’ll need to configure email header mapping in New harmon.ie accordingly. harmon.ie created a utility to export your custom email header mapping from harmon.ie Classic to a JSON file that can be imported into New harmon.ie. See Export Custom Email Header Mapping Settings to New harmon.ie.

4. Import Users’ Sites & Favorites

To ensure a smooth transition and easy setup, harmon.ie lets users import their SharePoint sites and favorite locations from harmon.ie Classic to New harmon.ie. This requires that harmon.ie Classic version 10.5 or later will be installed for all users switching to New harmon.ie. This version saves user’s sites and favorites in a common location accessible to New harmon.ie.

harmon.ie suggests importing data from harmon.ie Classic only for new users. Existing New harmon.ie users can be prompted to import their data if they reset their New harmon.ie settings.
  • harmon.ie can only import SharePoint sites and favorites from the primary tenant.
  • harmon.ie doesn’t import Teams.
  • harmon.ie doesn’t import Teams favorites. It will import Teams channels favorites and Teams folder favorites.