NXPowerLite Desktop integrates with locally installed versions of Microsoft Outlook (2007 - 2024 & M365) to automatically optimize email attachments as they are sent. It can also compress attachments in emails stored in individual emails in the inbox. NXPowerLite cannot compress attachments in online versions of Outlook or the "New Outlook" app.
Automatic compression when sending emails
If you installed NXPowerLite with a 'Typical' or 'Complete' setup (or ticked the 'Outlook Integration' box during a 'Custom' setup), Microsoft Outlook integration will be initially enabled. Whenever you send an email with an attachment that NXPowerLite can optimize, it will be automatically optimized as the email is sent.
If you don't want NXPowerLite to optimize a particular email you should click the 'NXPowerLite enabled' button in the ribbon:
If you click this it will disable NXPowerLite for this message and any subsequent ones and change the button to 'NXPowerLite disabled'. It will stay disabled until you re-enable NXPowerLite by clicking the 'NXPowerLite disabled' button again.
Top Tip: Outlook can enable the simplified ribbon where is not possible to see the NXPowerLite button in your email compose window. To switch to the Classic Ribbon, click on the down arrow in the bottom right of the ribbon and select "Classic Ribbon".
To edit the attachment rules such as minimum attachment size, exclusion of file types and auto-zipping you need to click on the 'NXPowerLite options' button in the main Outlook window and choose 'Settings':
In this window, it is possible to configure how NXPowerLite handles attachments - which it optimizes or not, along with rules to control the automatic zipping of attachments. A detailed explanation of each setting is below.
Ignore emails below
NXPowerLite will ignore emails where the total size of attachments is below this value.
File types to include
Select file types that NXPowerLite will consider for optimization. For example, if you never want to optimize Excel files then un-check the Excel checkbox.
Ask me when flattening embedded objects
If ask me is enabled NXPowerLite will warn you before sending, that it has 'Flattened embedded objects' in email attachments and present the following options:
- Continue sending the attachments with embedded objects flattened
- Send the original files
- Cancel and return to the email compose window to re-configure NXPowerLite
To ensure that NXPowerLite never 'Flattens embedded objects' create and apply a custom profile disabling the 'Flatten embedded objects' option.
Zip settings (Outlook only)
Enable zip compression
Zip compression is disabled by default, but when enabled it will zip attachments in emails that meet the criteria below:
Ignore emails below
NXPowerLite will ignore emails where the total size of attachments after optimization is below this value. It is possible to make sure that every email is considered for zip compression by setting this value to 0.
Minimum reduction
If an email is large enough to be considered for zip compression, NXPowerLite will collect all the attachments and zip them. However, it will only send them as a zip file if the reduction is greater than the Minimum Reduction. For example, if zipping only achieves 5% compression and the Minimum reduction value is set to 10%, then NXPowerLite will send the attachments without zipping.
Ask Me before sending zipped attachments
If Ask Me is enabled NXPowerLite will warn you before sending that the attachments will be zipped and present the following options:
- Send zipped Attachments
- Send attachments unzipped
- Cancel and return to the email compose window to re-configure NXPowerLite
To ensure that NXPowerLite never zips email attachments disable the zip compression setting.
Use custom file extension
This feature allows users to customize the extension of the zip file created by NXPowerLite to something other than '.zip'. For example, customizing this setting to '.piz' will create a zip archive with the name 'Filename.piz'.
Inbox email attachment compression
Once NXPowerLite is installed, you can compress attachments for individual emails right within the inbox (or folder). It is super simple to do by following these two steps:
- Right-click an email with an attachment
- Choose the "Optimize with NXPowerLite" option
Once email attachments have been compressed, they cannot be compressed again. Right-clicking on an email that has already had the attachments compressed results in the new NXPowerLite option "View NXPowerLite Details"
Using that option, you can see when and by which version of NXPowerLite the file was compressed.