AI Summarization for Outlook Emails

Author Sun Last modified 2025-04-07

In today's fast-paced work environment, email communication is essential. Quickly extracting key information from emails can boost efficiency and prevent missing critical details.

For example:

When receiving long emails, reading everything can take too much time. A quick summary helps you grasp the key points faster.
When managing multiple emails related to a project, reading each one individually can be time-consuming and lead to missing key updates. Summarizing all related emails together provides a clear overview and improves efficiency.

This tutorial will guide you through using AI to summarize both single and multiple emails efficiently.

Single Email Summarization

Method 1: Online AI Solutions
Method 2: Kutools for Outlook’s Built-in AI Pane

Bulk Email Summarization

Kutools for Outlook’s Advanced AI Summary Tool

Single Email Summarization

Summarizing a single email is a common task, and most AI tools can handle it with ease. Below are two recommended methods:

Method 1: Online AI Solutions

There are many online AI tools available that can quickly summarize content. Here’s how to use one of the most popular tools, ChatGPT, as an example:

Step 1. Open the email in Outlook, select the text, and copy it (shortcuts: "Ctrl" + "C").

Step 2. Go to ChatGPT or a similar AI tool, paste the email content, and enter a prompt like "Summarize below content:". Then click the "Send" button .

The AI will generate a concise summary. Copy and use it as needed.

If you are not satisfied with the provided summary, you can add your requirements and request it to generate a new summary.

Pros & Cons

✔️Pros

Most online AI tools are free to use.
No need to install any software, can be used instantly.

❌Cons

Manually copying and pasting every email can be tedious, especially for multiple emails..
Potential privacy risks, as pasting email content into third-party AI tools may lead to data exposure.

Method 2: Kutools for Outlook’s Built-in AI Pane

"Kutools for Outlook" offers an "AI pane" that automatically summarizes email content without requiring copy-paste.

Unlock ultimate email efficiency with Kutools for Outlook! Access 70 powerful features absolutely free, forever. Download the Free Version Now!

Step 1. Install Kutools for Outlook, open Outlook, and click "Kutools" > "AI" to activate the "Kutools AI pane".

Notes:

If you are using Kutools’ AI feature in Outlook for the first time, an "AI Settings" dialog will pop up, prompting you to select an "AI provider" (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini, Baidu) and enter your "AI key".
If you don't have an AI key yet, I recommend you apply the Kutools AI key, which allows you to use Kutools AI features 100 times free of charge. How do I get a Kutools AI key?

The Kutools AI pane is now activated. Click on the "Summary" tab, and it will automatically generate a summary for the current email. As you navigate to the next email, a new summary will be created automatically.

If you prefer to generate summaries manually, simply disable "Auto Mode" and switch to "Manual Mode", where summaries will only be generated when you click the "Generate" button.

Step 3. If the content is not satisfied, click the "Regenerate" button to allow the AI to extract new key information for you. If the content is satisfied, click the "Copy" button to copy the extracted content, and paste it anywhere you want.

Customization

Select Summary Language: Choose the desired language for your summary. With over 40 languages available, you can generate summaries in the language that best suits your needs.
Select Summary Style: By default, four predefined summary styles are provided for you to choose from.
Customize or Add More Summary Styles: Users can personalize their summary preferences.
Click the "Skill Library Management" button , locate the Summary skill, and click the "Add Options" button to enter your custom requests. Save your preferences to tailor the summary output to your needs.

Pros & Cons

✔️Pros

Automated summarization without manual copy-paste.
Built directly into Outlook, eliminating the need to switch between platforms.
Supports multiple languages, making it easier to understand emails in foreign languages.
Allows customization of summary style and key information included.

❌Cons

Requires installation of Kutools for Outlook.

Bulk Email Summarization

While you could summarize multiple emails one by one using online AI tools, this process is inefficient. Kutools for Outlook’s "AI Summary Tool" is designed specifically for this purpose.

Kutools for Outlook’s Advanced AI Summary Tool

Unlock ultimate email efficiency with Kutools for Outlook! Access 70 powerful features absolutely free, forever. Download the Free Version Now!

Step 1. Install Kutools for Outlook, open Outlook, and click "Kutools" > "AI Summary" to activate the Kutools AI Summary feature.

Notes:

If you are using Kutools’ AI feature in Outlook for the first time, an "AI Settings" dialog will pop up, prompting you to select an "AI provider" (e.g., OpenAI, Google Gemini, Baidu) and enter your "AI key".
If you don't have an AI key yet, I recommend you apply the Kutools AI key, which allows you to use Kutools AI features 100 times free of charge. How do I get a Kutools AI key?

Step 2. In "Step 1 of the AI Work Summary" dialog, select the "desired date range" for summarizing emails and choose the "folders" containing the emails you want to include in the summary. Then click the "Next" button.

doc-ai-summary-select-date-rarnge-and-folder

Step 3. All emails from the selected folders within the specified date range will be displayed in a list. You can manually refine the selection by ticking specific emails for a more precise summary. Then select the "language" and the "summary style". Click "Start Summary".

Now the summary is generated.

If the summary is not satisfied, click "Summary Again" to get a new summary.

If you're satisfied with the summary, click "Copy" to paste it anywhere you need. Alternatively, click "Export" to save the summary as a TXT or PDF file. You can also click "New Email" to open a new message window with the summary automatically inserted into the email body.

Pros & Cons

✔️Pros

Batch summarization of multiple emails, saving significant time.
Customizable summary style and language.
Generates multiple summary versions for easy comparison.
Editable summaries, with export options to PDF and Text files.

❌Cons

Requires installation of Kutools for Outlook.

Comparison Table: Which Method to Choose?

Feature	Online AI Tools	Kutools AI Pane	Kutools AI Summary
Use Case	Single email	Single email	Multiple emails
Automatic	❌No, requires manual copy	✅Yes	✅Yes
Multi-language Support	Depends on AI tool	✅Yes	✅Yes
Custom Summary Style	❌Basic Only	✅Yes	✅Yes
Batch Summarization	❌No	❌No	✅Yes
Integrated into Outlook	❌No	✅Yes	✅Yes
Privacy & Security	❌Risk of data exposure	✅Secure	✅Secure

Conclusion

If you only need to summarize a single email, the Kutools AI Pane is the most efficient choice—it automatically summarizes emails without requiring copy-paste.
If you need to summarize multiple emails, Kutools AI Summary is the best option—it processes multiple emails at once, saving you time.
If you don’t want to install plugins, Online AI tools can work, but manual effort is required for

Kutools for Outlook now offers 100+ free tools, including AI summarization! Download now and boost your email management efficiency!