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This article explains permissions that are needed in order to access another person's or organization's mailbox. It also describes how to add the mailbox to the Outlook app on a PC or Mac.
To see more info regarding accessing the mailbox using
Webmail (also known as Outlook for the Web or Outlook Online) — i.e. if you need to work with a shared mailbox, including reading/replying to messages, adjusting account settings, or creating account-specific rules — see the related article
Use Webmail to Access a Shared Account (PC & Mac).
Contents
It is fairly easy to add an additional mailbox to your folder list in Microsoft Outlook. You must, however,
have permission to access another person’s or organization’s mailbox before you can see the contents. Depending on how you will use the mailbox, you may need to submit a request for access to the Helpdesk. See our related article on
Shared Mailboxes to learn more, or click the
Request Support button (above right) to create a Helpdesk ticket.
Shared Mailboxes
If you want to be able to work fully with messages in a shared mailbox without mention of your own name (such as from Jane Doe on behalf of the Shared Account), then your supervisor should submit a request to the Helpdesk 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:
If you are a delegate and routinely respond to email for someone else, you may want to add their mailbox to your account for quick access. You must have been granted at least Reviewer permission to open their mailbox and see it in your Folder List.
These instructions will work for both the Legacy and New version of Outlook.
Add a mailbox to your Outlook folder view as follows:
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Open Outlook.
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On the top menu bar, click on Tools > Accounts...
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There are now two ways to add the shared mailbox:
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Select your Exchange account from the tabs on the left.
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Click the Advanced… button in the lower right.
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Click Delegation and Sharing and select Shared with Me.
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Click the + button below.
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Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access. Click Done to select the mailbox.
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Click the + button at the bottom left of the Accounts tab > Open Shared Mailbox...
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Enter the name of the mailbox to which you have access. Click Add to select the mailbox.
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You can now exit the Accounts window.
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The mail folders, calendar, contacts, etc for that mailbox should now be visible, assuming the owner has granted you delegate permissions.
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Open Outlook.
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Click the File tab.
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On the Info tab (titled Account Information), click Account Settings > Account Settings...
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Double-click on your email address in Email tab. The Exchange Account Settings dialog box will open.
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Click More Settings button in the bottom left. The Microsoft Exchange dialog box will open.
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Select the Advanced tab.
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Click Add.... The Add Mailbox dialog box will open.
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In the Add mailbox field, type the email address of the mailbox you want to add and then click OK. The mailbox name should be added to the Open these additional mailboxes list.
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Click Apply then OK.
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On the Exchange Account Settings dialog box click Next and then Done.
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Close the Account Settings and dialog box.
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If you changed the cache settings of an account, restart Outlook for changes to take effect.
For more information, see Microsoft's article Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.
Important Note: Classic Outlook 365 is still recommended for use in business settings.
As with older versions of Outlook, some mailboxes will appear automatically in your folder list at left.
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Scroll down to the Shared with me drop-down at the bottom of your email.
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Expand it to see your additional mailboxes.
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If you were just granted access to the mailbox, you'll need to close Outlook then relaunch it for the permissions to take effect.
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If some mailboxes do not appear on their own after 10-15 minutes, you can add them manually:
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Right-click your account name (email address) in the left-hand navigation pane
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Choose Add shared folder or mailbox.
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Supply the email address of the shared mailbox you need and click Add.
For more information, see Microsoft's article Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook.