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Outlook Add-in (Sparks Meeting & Calendar)

Last updated: July 2026 The Sparks Outlook add-in lets you create and manage Sparks online meetings and Sparks calendar events directly in Microsoft Outlook—without opening the Sparks web app.

Overview​

TopicDetails
Product nameSparks Meeting & Calendar
Hostinghttps://outlook-addin.sparks.team
Outlook clientsOutlook on the web (Edge recommended), New Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac; mobile limited
AccountSparks organization account (same sign-in as the Sparks app)
Calendar backendEvents are also created in Sparks Appointments (Scheduler) and linked to the Outlook item

The add-in adds three main capabilities:

  1. Sparks Meeting – Insert an online meeting link and meeting options into appointments (ribbon when composing as organizer)
  2. Sparks Calendar – Compact view of your Sparks events in the task pane (when reading mail)
  3. Sparks event – Create an appointment from the open email (recipients pre-filled as attendees)

Prerequisites​

  • Microsoft 365 mailbox with Outlook (web, desktop, or mobile)
  • Sparks account in your organization (self-registration or invitation – see Account self-registration)
  • The add-in must be deployed by IT (Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Integrated apps). Without deployment, ribbon buttons do not appear.
  • Sparks Appointments (Scheduler) must be enabled on the Sparks server (default in Sparks Cloud deployments)

Installation and deployment​

For end users​

After IT deployment:

  1. Open Outlook (web or desktop)
  2. On first use of Sparks Meeting, Sparks Calendar, or Sparks event, connect your Sparks account (see Sign-in)
  3. Features remain available until you sign out in the add-in

Ribbon buttons:

  • Appointment compose (organizer): Sparks group → Sparks Meeting
  • Reading mail: Sparks group → Sparks Calendar, Sparks event

For administrators (brief)​

  • Deploy the manifest via Microsoft 365 Admin Center as an integrated app (unified manifest; source: https://outlook-addin.sparks.team/manifest.json)
  • Recommended: Org-wide deployment so the add-in can replace the Teams/Skype meeting toggle with Sparks as the online meeting provider
  • Optional: review org setting “Add online meeting to all meetings” (Teams) when using Sparks as provider — this can produce duplicate meeting links; IT should remove default Teams links or set Sparks as the provider
  • Server-side: Azure app registration, Keycloak token exchange, CORS for outlook-addin.sparks.team (operations – not end-user setup)

Sign-in​

When the task pane opens for the first time:

  1. Connect to Sparks with your organization account
  2. Single sign-on (SSO): If Office SSO is configured, sign-in uses Microsoft; the add-in exchanges the token for a Sparks session
  3. Manual sign-in: Keycloak login dialog fallback (same credentials as the Sparks app)
  4. Session: You stay signed in on the device until you choose Sign out in the add-in

Without a valid session, meetings cannot be created and Sparks calendar data cannot be loaded.

Sparks Meeting (appointment compose)​

Workflow​

  1. Create a new appointment or edit an existing invitation as organizer in Outlook

  2. Ribbon Sparks → Sparks Meeting – the task pane opens

  3. Set meeting options (see below)

  4. Choose Add Sparks meeting or Save meeting settings

  5. The add-in:

    • creates a Sparks appointment (LiveKit meeting, join URL)
    • inserts an invitation block in the body (join link, meeting ID, optional phone dial-in)
    • sets location to “Sparks Meeting” (localized)
    • mirrors the event to Sparks Appointments (Scheduler calendar)

  6. Send the invitation through Outlook as usual

Existing Sparks meeting​

  • If the appointment already has a Sparks block, organizers can update settings or remove the meeting
  • A second add replaces the existing block (no duplicate blocks)
  • If the appointment is linked but you cannot edit, the add-in shows read-only status

Teams meeting detected​

If the appointment already contains a Microsoft Teams link (e.g. org default), the add-in offers to replace it with Sparks.

Meeting options in the add-in​

Options match the Sparks calendar dialog (summary). Meeting type (Standard, Town Hall, Webinar) is not selectable in the Outlook add-in — only in the Sparks app or calendar dialog.

AreaOptions
Access & lobbyWho can join; who waits in the lobby
ParticipationChat, polls, Q&A, reactions
Join defaultsCamera/mic off at start, meeting password, E2EE, phone dial-in in invitation

Full field reference, plan limits (Basic: no transcript/E2EE/recording), and post-meeting sharing: Event and meeting options.

Sparks Calendar (task pane)​

When reading an email in Outlook:

  1. Choose Sparks Calendar on the ribbon
  2. The task pane shows your Sparks events (day/week)
  3. Open events, use Join, or Open in Sparks
  4. Create new event in the add-in

RSVP status (accepted/declined/…) is shown; write-back to Exchange depends on deployment (see technical roadmap).

Event from email (Sparks event)​

  1. Open an email with recipients
  2. Choose Sparks event on the ribbon
  3. Form: subject, date, time, location, description, online meeting, attendees (recipients pre-filled)
  4. Create event – entry in Sparks Appointments; may also appear in Outlook depending on flow

Useful for scheduling a Sparks meeting quickly from an email thread.

Supported Outlook clients​

ClientSparks MeetingSparks Calendar / event from mail
Outlook on the web (Edge)YesYes
New Outlook (Windows)YesYes
Outlook (Mac)YesYes
Outlook mobileLimited (ribbon buttons; task pane limited)Limited

The add-in requires a network connection to the Sparks backend; offline use is not supported.

Plans and limits​

The same organization plans apply as in the Sparks app (e.g. Basic: no meeting transcript, no meeting E2EE, session duration limits). Options not allowed by your plan are disabled in the add-in or rejected server-side.

Troubleshooting​

IssuePossible fix
Sparks ribbon group missingAsk IT: add-in deployed in Admin Center? Correct Microsoft account?
Task pane blank / stuck on “Loading…”Check network; restart Outlook; IT: CORS and outlook-addin.sparks.team
Sign-in failsVerify Sparks credentials; try manual sign-in; IT: Azure/Keycloak setup
Could not create meetingPlan/limits; server reachable; compose as organizer
Teams and Sparks links togetherReplace Sparks block or remove Teams link; IT: deploy Sparks as online meeting provider

See also​