Access a Shared Account/Mailbox - Outlook Application

This article explains the permissions needed to access another person's or organization's mailbox, and how to add the mailbox to the Outlook desktop application on Mac or Windows. 

To see more info regarding accessing the mailbox using Webmail (also known as Outlook for the Web or Outlook Online)—i.e., the easiest way to work directly with a shared mailbox, including reading/replying to messages, adjusting account settings, or creating account-specific rules—see the related article Access a Shared Account/Mailbox - Webmail. 

If you are looking to create a new outlook profile—e.g., to do a mail merge or troubleshoot profile-specific issues—see instead the related article Create a New Outlook Profile. 

Contents

• Mailbox Permissions
• Add a Mailbox in...
  • Outlook 365 App for Mac (New & Legacy)
  • Outlook 365 App for Windows
    • Classic
    • New
  • Outlook Mobile

Mailbox Permissions

You must have permission to access another person’s or organization’s mailbox. You must have been granted at least Reviewer permission to open a mailbox and see it in your folder list. See our related article on Shared Mailboxes to learn more. 

Shared Mailboxes

If you want to be able to work fully with messages in a shared mailbox without mention of your own name (i.e., Jane Doe on behalf of the Shared Account), then your supervisor should submit a request to the Helpdesk using the Request support button (top right) asking for you to be granted "full access with 'send as' permission."

Mailboxes Belonging to an Individual

With mailboxes belonging to an individual, the mailbox owner can grant delegate permissions as follows:

• Windows: About delegates: Allow someone to manage your mail and calendar in Outlook

• Mac: Add and manage delegates in Outlook for Mac

Add a mailbox in...

Outlook 365 App for Mac

1. Open the Outlook application.

2. On the top menu bar, click on Tools > Accounts... 

3. Depending on your version, there are now two ways you may be able to add the shared mailbox:

- New Outlook -

1. Click on your Exchange account under Mail Accounts. Do NOT click + Add Account.

2. Click on Delegates & Sharing.

3. Select the Shared with Me tab.

4. Click the + button in the bottom left of the window.

5. Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access in the search bar. Select it, then click Add.

   • NOTE: After clicking the + button, if there is no search bar at the top of the window (i.e., "Search for a person..."), you will need to expand the window (click and hold the top edge of the window, then drag upward) to show the search bar (YouTube video demo).

- Legacy Outlook -

1. Make sure your account is selected on the left side-bar, then click the Advanced... button in the bottom right.

2. Select the Delegates tab.

3. Click the + button under the list Open these additional mailboxes. 

4. Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access in the search bar. Select it, then click Add.

5. Click OK to finalize adding the mailbox. 

3. You can now exit the Accounts window.

4. The mail folders, calendar, contacts, etc. for that mailbox should now be visible.

For more information, see Microsoft's article Open a shared Mail, Calendar or People folder in Outlook for Mac.

Outlook 365 App for Windows

Outlook (classic)

1. Open the Outlook application.

2. Click the File tab.

3. On the Info tab (titled Account Information), click Account Settings > Account Settings...
   
   

4. Double-click on your email address in Email tab. The Exchange Account Settings dialog box will open.

5. Click More Settings button in the bottom left. The Microsoft Exchange dialog box will open.

6. Select the Advanced tab.

7. Click Add.... The Add Mailbox dialog box will open.

8. In the Add mailbox field, enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access, then click OK. The mailbox name should be added to the Open these additional mailboxes list.

   • Be sure to UNcheck the box beside “Download shared folders” to prevent issues with shared mailboxes.  Leave the “Use Cached Exchange Mode” box checked; this applies to your own account.

     

9. Click Apply then OK.

10. On the Exchange Account Settings dialog box click Next and then Done.

11. Close the Account Settings and dialog box.

12. If you changed the cache settings of an account, restart Outlook for changes to take effect.

13. The mail folders, calendar, contacts, etc. for that mailbox should now be visible.

For more information, see Microsoft's article Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.

New Outlook

Important Note:  Classic Outlook is still recommended for use in business settings.

1. Open the Outlook application.

2. On the left sidebar, you should see all mailboxes shared with you.

   • If you were just granted access to the mailbox, you'll need to close Outlook then relaunch it for the permissions to take effect.

3. If, after 10-15 minutes, the mailbox does not show automatically, you can also add the mailboxes manually:

   1. Right-click your account name (email address) in the left-hand sidebar.

   2. In the pop-up window, select Add shared folder or mailbox.  

   3. Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access, then click Continue. 

4. The mail folders, calendar, contacts, etc. for that mailbox should now be visible.

For more information, see Microsoft's article Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.

Outlook Mobile

1. Open Outlook.

2. Click on your profile icon in the top left of the screen - the left sidebar will slide out. 

3. Click on the gear icon in the bottom left of the screen - Settings will open. 

4. Under General, click on Accounts (on some versions, you may just see the Add Account button, in which case skip this step). 

5. Click Add Account > (Add) Shared Mailbox. 

6. Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access, then click Add (Shared) Mailbox. 

7. The mail folders, calendar, contacts, etc. for that mailbox should now be visible.

For more information, see Microsoft's article Add a shared mailbox to Outlook mobile.