--- title: Mail and Calendar | Lightfield description: Connect Gmail or Outlook to Lightfield and choose what each connected account syncs, shares and blocks. --- Connect Gmail (Google Workspace), Microsoft Outlook (Office 365), or both. Lightfield uses their emails and meetings to create accounts, contacts and meeting records. ## Who can use it - **Every plan** lets each member connect one mail and calendar account. Connecting more than one depends on your plan; see [Multiple accounts](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/multiple-accounts/index.md). - **Each member connects their own mailbox.** Admins can’t connect someone else’s email for them. - **Viewers** can’t connect a mailbox and don’t see **Mail and Calendar** in Settings. See [Members](/help/settings/members/index.md). ## Connect an account Before connecting, review the [visibility settings](#visibility-settings) and [blocked senders and domains](#blocked-senders-and-domains): the account starts syncing after you grant access. To connect: 1. Go to [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/). The **Accounts** tab opens. 2. Click **Add account**. 3. Choose the account settings. They start at their defaults and remain editable after connecting. 4. At the top right, click **Continue with Google** or **Continue with Microsoft** and sign in with the address you want to connect. 5. Grant every permission your provider asks for, including mail, calendar and contacts. The new account appears on the **Accounts** tab as **Connected**. Click it to open its settings. Google Groups and distribution lists can’t sign in directly. See [Shared inboxes](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/shared-inboxes/index.md). ## Settings for each account Go to [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/) and click the account. Settings are grouped under **General** and **Exclusions**. Use [Exclusion categories](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/exclusion-categories/index.md) to keep types of mail and meetings, such as cold pitches or personal email, out of your CRM. **See excluded activity** lets you review matches and sync an item back in. ### Backsync range **Backsync range** defaults to one month. You can choose 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. Start with three to twelve months to cover recent relationships; extend it when you need older history. On **Add account**, pick any range. After connecting, you can only extend it. Choose **Confirm new backsync** to re-sync; Lightfield notifies you when it finishes. A longer range also brings in more accounts for newsletters, vendors and old contacts. That’s expected; work your deals from your Opportunities view. ### Calendar sync Lightfield syncs the calendar of every connected account. **Calendar sync** decides which meetings it tracks: - **External meetings only** (default): meetings with participants outside the workspace. - **All meetings**: any meeting with at least two participants or a meeting URL, including internal-only meetings. Keep **External meetings only** unless you want internal meetings, such as pipeline reviews, on your records. Changing **Calendar sync** reprocesses your existing meetings, so internal meetings that weren’t tracked before can start appearing shortly after you save. People on your workspace’s domains count as internal, and Lightfield doesn’t create accounts for them. Admins manage those domains under **Domains** in [Settings → General](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/organization/). To sync and record one meeting your default would skip, [invite the Lightfield recorder](/help/settings/recording/#invite-lightfield-to-one-meeting/index.md) on its calendar event. Tracking a meeting is otherwise separate from recording it; see [Recording](/help/settings/recording/index.md). ### Account & contact creation **Account & contact creation** decides which emails and meetings can create new accounts and contacts. The default is **When you reach out**, which creates records only from emails you send and meetings you attend. The options, and the **Create contacts from personal email addresses (eg. @gmail.com, @outlook.com)** checkbox below them, are explained in [How records are created](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/how-records-are-created/index.md). ### Visibility settings **Visibility settings** decides what teammates can see from this account’s emails and meetings: - **Full access** (default): teammates can see all email and meeting content, including subject, body and attachments. - **Metadata only**: teammates see only participants and timestamps. Keep **Full access** so teammates have the context on shared deals, and switch a mailbox to **Metadata only** if most of its mail is sensitive. To change a single email or meeting, use its three-dot menu: **Make private** or **Make visible to workspace**. ### Aliases An alias is another address your mailbox can send as, such as `sales@yourcompany.com` added to your own Gmail or Outlook mailbox. You don’t add aliases in Lightfield. Lightfield reads them from your provider: - **Gmail**: verified send-as addresses (Gmail’s “Send mail as” setting). - **Outlook**: the other email addresses your Microsoft admin added to your mailbox. **Aliases** lists the account’s aliases, if any. Their sent mail syncs through this account. On Outlook, email goes out from your primary address until your Microsoft admin enables sending from aliases in Exchange. When writing or replying, pick the alias in **From**. Each mailbox lists its aliases and their count, such as **2 aliases**. Replies to an alias use that alias automatically. ### Blocked senders and domains Block domains (such as `lawfirm.com`) or single addresses (such as `jane@lawfirm.com`) you never want in your CRM, like investors, legal counsel or recruiters. Don’t add your own company domain, or none of your mail will sync. When anyone on an email or meeting is on your list, Lightfield ignores it from your mailbox, and the recorder doesn’t join the meeting. Lightfield also re-checks the emails and meetings it already synced, so matching ones are hidden. Your list only covers your own mailbox. If a teammate’s connected mailbox also has the email or meeting and their list doesn’t block it, it still syncs through their mailbox. Admins can keep a workspace-wide **Do not track** list that applies to every member’s mailbox; see [General](/help/settings/general/index.md). Blocking doesn’t delete accounts or contacts that already exist. Delete those yourself if you don’t want them. A deleted account or contact goes to **Deleted Items**, and Lightfield doesn’t create it again from new email. See [Deleted items](/help/deleted-items/index.md). 1. Open the account in [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/). 2. Under **Exclusions**, find **Blocked senders and domains**. 3. Type the domain or address and press Enter. Block a single address when one person at a company shouldn’t be tracked but their colleagues should. ## Reconnect a disconnected account An account shows **Disconnected** when Lightfield can’t sync it. This usually happens when your provider session expires, you change your password, permissions are revoked, or you skipped a permission when connecting. 1. Go to [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/) and click the account. 2. In the **This account is disconnected** banner, click **Reconnect**. You can also open the three-dot menu at the top right and choose **Connect account**. 3. Sign in again and grant every permission (mail, calendar and contacts). The account shows **Connected** again and syncing resumes. If the account page shows **Update permissions to create drafts from Lightfield**, click **Update permissions** and sign in again so Lightfield can save drafts to your mailbox. ## Disconnect an account 1. Go to [Settings → Mail and Calendar](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/mail-and-calendar/) and click the account. 2. Open the three-dot menu at the top right and choose **Disconnect account**. The account shows **Disconnected**, and Lightfield stops syncing new email and meetings from it. Records it already created stay in your CRM until you delete them. To start syncing again, [reconnect it](#reconnect-a-disconnected-account). ## Troubleshooting ### Add account is greyed out Hover over it to see which limit you’ve reached, then see [Multiple accounts](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/multiple-accounts/index.md). ### Connecting fails with an error - **That account is already connected.** The address is already a connected account or one of its aliases, so there’s nothing to add. - **This account’s domain is on your workspace’s Do not track list.** An admin removes the domain from **Do not track** in [Settings → General](https://crm.lightfield.app/crm/settings/organization/), then you connect again. - **Lightfield needs access to your Google Calendar.** Try again and select every permission on Google’s screen. Use **Select all** if you see it. ### The account says Lightfield is missing Google permissions Google hasn’t granted all required permissions. In the **Lightfield is missing Google permissions** banner, click **Reconnect** and select every permission on Google’s screen. If your Google Workspace admin restricts third-party apps, ask them to allow Lightfield, then reconnect. For emails or meetings that don’t appear, see [Troubleshooting](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/troubleshooting/index.md). ## Common questions **How quickly do new emails and meetings appear?** Within a few minutes. Lightfield syncs continuously. **Can I send email from our sales@ address?** Yes, if it is a send-as [alias](#aliases) on your connected mailbox. Pick it in **From**. For a group address, see [Shared inboxes](/help/settings/mail-and-calendar/shared-inboxes/index.md). **Does disconnecting delete my records?** No. Records Lightfield already created stay until you delete them. It only stops syncing new email and meetings.