Claude Desktop connects to Microsoft Exchange through the CData MCP Server for Microsoft Exchange using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When you launch Claude, it automatically detects MCP connections registered during setup. These connections are created and saved using the MCP Configuration Tool, which is installed with the MCP Server.

Each saved connection is recognized by Claude and can be referenced by name when asking questions.

Installing Claude

Claude Desktop is a standalone application that enables natural language querying across supported data sources using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

To connect to Microsoft Exchange via MCP, you first need to install the Claude Desktop application.

You can download the latest version from the official Claude Download Page.

After installing Claude Desktop, you can configure your MCP connection using the CData MCP Driver for Microsoft Exchange.

How Claude Uses the Server

When you ask Claude a question, it launches the corresponding MCP Server connection, reads the available tool descriptions provided by the connector, and generates a secure query in the background.

There is no need to write SQL or teach Claude how to query your data. Each tool is self-describing, and Claude consumes those descriptions to determine how to retrieve the right information.

Example Prompts

After setup, you can ask Claude natural-language questions like:

• "List all unread emails from external senders in my inbox."
• "What are the most common email subjects received by the executive team this month?"
• "Show me all emails with attachments over 10MB sent in the last 30 days."
• "Which users have mailboxes larger than 5GB?"
• "Which recurring meetings are still active for the Marketing department?"
• "Which mailboxes haven't been accessed in over 90 days?"
• "List all shared mailboxes and their delegates."
• "What users have forwarding rules to external email addresses?"
• "Which mailboxes have mailbox auditing enabled?"
• "Show all emails that violated DLP policies in Q1 2025."

Claude securely executes the query using the MCP Server and responds using the live results from Microsoft Exchange.