Quick Start Guide

Set up Email to ServiceNow in minutes — one admin configuration, then a one-click Outlook install.

🎫 What This Add-in Does

From the Microsoft Outlook reading pane, create a ServiceNow record from the open email in one click. The email subject pre-fills the Short description and the body pre-fills the Description; the sender is matched to a ServiceNow caller by email (with manual override). Set urgency, impact, category, assignment group, and assignee before you create. The original email is attached to the record as an .eml file, along with the email's own file attachments.

🎉 Free — No Sign-up

Email to ServiceNow is completely free: no paid tier, no subscription, no trial, and no in-app purchase. There's no Innova-Apps account to create — your identity is your own ServiceNow account.

✅ Before You Start

ServiceNow instance + admin access: a ServiceNow administrator completes the one-time setup in Part 1 (an OAuth Application Registry entry and two CORS rules)
Microsoft 365 mailbox: with Microsoft Outlook — Outlook on the web, new Outlook for Windows, or classic Outlook for Windows/Mac
ServiceNow account: with permission to create records on the target table (for example the itil role for incident) plus create on sys_attachment

⚠️ Do the admin setup first

Part 1 is a one-time configuration on your ServiceNow instance. Until an admin has registered the OAuth client and added the two CORS rules for the add-in's domain, the add-in cannot connect to your instance from the browser.

Part 1: ServiceNow Admin Setup (One Time)

A ServiceNow administrator completes this once per instance. It registers the add-in as an OAuth client and allows the add-in's browser origin (https://email-to-servicenow.web.app) to call your instance's REST APIs. Record data always goes directly from the browser to your ServiceNow instance — it never passes through Innova-Apps servers.

Recommended: OAuth 2.0 with PKCE

Create the OAuth endpoint

In ServiceNow, go to System OAuth → Application Registry → New and choose "Create an OAuth API endpoint for external clients". Then:

Give it a name (e.g. "Email to ServiceNow")
Set Redirect URL to: https://email-to-servicenow.web.app/auth/servicenow-callback.html
If your instance supports it (Madrid and later), check "Public client" / "PKCE required". No client secret is then needed and users only need the Client ID.
Otherwise ServiceNow generates a Client Secret — give users both the Client ID and Client Secret.
The default token lifetimes are fine (access token 30 minutes, refresh token 100 days).

Add two CORS rules

Go to System Web Services → REST → CORS Rules → New. A CORS rule is scoped to a single REST API, so create two rules:

Rule 1 — REST API: Table API (now/table)
Rule 2 — REST API: Attachment API (now/attachment)

For each rule, set:

Domain: https://email-to-servicenow.web.app
HTTP methods: GET, POST
Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Authorization, Content-Type, X-Requested-With
Max age: 3600

⚠️ CORS is required for either auth mode

Both CORS rules are needed whether users connect with OAuth or Basic auth. Without them, the browser cannot reach your instance and connecting fails with a CORS error.

🔑 Roles the connecting user needs

The user (or, for Basic auth, the integration user) needs write on the target table (e.g. itil for incident), create on sys_attachment, and read on sys_user, sys_user_group, and sys_choice. If sys_choice is restricted, the add-in falls back to built-in choice lists and still works.

🔒 Basic auth fallback

If you can't use OAuth, the add-in also supports Basic authentication with a dedicated ServiceNow integration user that has "Web service access only" checked. OAuth with PKCE is recommended because authentication runs against your own instance, so your company's SSO and MFA apply.

Part 2: Install the Outlook Add-in

You can install the add-in yourself from within Outlook, or your Microsoft 365 admin can deploy it for the whole organization. Choose the option that applies to you. If Email to ServiceNow isn't listed in your store yet, use Option B (your admin can deploy it by uploading its manifest).

Option A: Self-Install (Individual Users)

Install directly from within Outlook, then follow the steps for your version of Outlook below. Need the setup instructions again later? See this quick start guide.

New Outlook / Outlook on the web

Click "More apps" (or "Apps") in the toolbar or navigation bar
Select "Add apps"
Search for "Email to ServiceNow"
Click "Add" to install

Classic Outlook for Windows

Click "Get Add-ins" in the ribbon (Home tab)
Search for "Email to ServiceNow"
Click "Add" to install

Outlook for Mac

Go to Tools → Get Add-ins
Search for "Email to ServiceNow"
Click "Add" (or "Get it now") to install

✅ Instant Access

Self-installed add-ins are available immediately; no waiting required. You may need to close and reopen Outlook to see the add-in.

💡 Note

Some organizations restrict self-installation of add-ins. If you don't see the option to add apps, contact your IT administrator or use Option B.

Option B: Admin Deployment (Organization-wide)

For IT administrators who want to deploy the add-in to the entire organization or specific groups of users.

Access Admin Center

Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Settings → Integrated apps

Deploy Add-in

Click "Get apps" or "Upload custom apps"
Search for "Email to ServiceNow", or upload the add-in's manifest
Select the add-in and continue

Configure Deployment

Choose deployment scope: Entire organization or Specific users/groups
Review permissions required by the add-in
Click "Deploy"

Wait for Propagation

Admin-deployed add-ins can take 1-24 hours to appear in users' Outlook. Users may need to restart Outlook or clear browser cache.

🏢 Admin Benefit

Admin deployment automatically pushes the add-in to all targeted users. No action required on their part.

First-Time Setup (For Users)

Open an Email

In Outlook, open any email you want to turn into a ServiceNow record.

Open the Add-in

Click the "Apps" button in the Outlook toolbar, then find and select "Email to ServiceNow" from the app menu.

Enter Your Connection Settings

Enter your ServiceNow instance URL (e.g. https://yourcompany.service-now.com)
Choose OAuth (recommended) and enter the Client ID from Part 1 (plus the Client Secret only if your instance issued one)
Click "Connect"

Sign In on Your Instance

A popup opens your instance's own login page. Sign in with your ServiceNow account — your company's SSO and MFA apply. Approve access; the popup closes and you're connected.

🔐 Authentication & Storage

OAuth 2.0 with PKCE runs against your own ServiceNow instance, so your company's SSO and MFA apply. Connection settings and tokens are stored only in the task pane's browser localStorage on the add-in origin; nothing is sent to Innova-Apps. A stateless OAuth token broker only relays the token exchange to your instance and persists nothing. (If your admin set up Basic auth instead, enter the integration user's credentials.)

Creating Your First Record

Review the Pre-filled Fields

Short description: pre-filled from the email subject (editable)
Description: pre-filled from the email body (editable)
Caller: matched to a ServiceNow user by the sender's email — you can override it manually

Set Record Fields

Urgency, Impact, Category: choose the values for this record
Assignment group and Assignee: route it to the right team or person

Note: the target table defaults to incident. Your admin can point the add-in at any table you can write to — for example a Customer Service case (sn_customerservice_case) or a custom u_ table.

Review & Create

Review all fields
Click "Create"
Wait for confirmation (usually 2-5 seconds)

Success!

You'll see a success message with:

The new record number and a direct link to open it in ServiceNow
Option to create another record or close the add-in

Note: the original email is attached to the record as an .eml file, and any email attachments are uploaded to the record. The add-in also keeps a local list of up to 25 recently created records (record number + short description) for quick reference.

Key Features

🎫 One-Click Records

Create a ServiceNow record from the open email without leaving Outlook

📧 Email Preservation

The original email is attached as an .eml file with full headers and formatting

📎 Attachment Upload

The email's file attachments are uploaded to the record alongside it

👤 Caller Matching

The sender is matched to a ServiceNow caller by email, with manual override

🎚️ Field Control

Set urgency, impact, category, assignment group, and assignee before creating

🔒 Direct to Your Instance

Record data goes straight to your ServiceNow instance, not through Innova-Apps

Quick Troubleshooting

Add-in Not Appearing in Outlook

Self-installed: Close and reopen Outlook, or sign out and back in
Admin-deployed: Wait a few hours after deployment (up to 24 hours)
Restart Outlook completely
Clear browser cache (for Outlook on the web)
If self-install is unavailable, your organization may restrict user-installed add-ins. Contact your IT admin.

"CORS error" When Connecting

Your ServiceNow admin must add both CORS rules — one for the Table API (now/table) and one for the Attachment API (now/attachment) — for the exact domain https://email-to-servicenow.web.app (see Part 1)
Double-check the domain has no trailing slash and matches exactly

"401 Unauthorized" After It Worked for a While

The refresh token expired (default 100 days). Click Reconnect and sign in again.

"403 Forbidden" When Creating a Record

Your account is missing a required role on the target table (e.g. itil for incident) or create on sys_attachment. Ask your admin to grant it.

Other

429 (rate limit): your instance is throttling requests; the add-in retries once automatically. Try again shortly.
Record created but attachments fail: the attachment may exceed your instance's size limit (com.glide.attachment.max_size). The record is still created.

Quick FAQ

Is Email to ServiceNow free?

Yes — completely free. There is no paid tier, subscription, trial, or in-app purchase.

Do I need an Innova-Apps account?

No. There's no separate sign-up. You sign in with your own ServiceNow account, and your company's SSO/MFA apply.

Which ServiceNow table does it create records in?

By default the incident table. Your admin can point the add-in at any table you can write to, such as a Customer Service case (sn_customerservice_case) or a custom u_ table.

Does my email data pass through your servers?

No. Record data — subject, body, the .eml file, and attachments — goes directly from your browser to your ServiceNow instance. The only backend is a stateless OAuth token broker that relays the token exchange and stores nothing.

What's the one-time admin setup?

A ServiceNow admin creates one OAuth Application Registry entry and two CORS rules (Table API and Attachment API) for the add-in's domain. See Part 1 for the exact field values.

Can I use this on mobile devices?

No. The add-in is supported on Outlook on the web, new Outlook for Windows, and classic Outlook for Windows and Mac, with a Microsoft 365 mailbox. Mobile is not supported.

Need Help?

📧 Contact Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests:
Email: support@innovaapps.ai · Support page

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