Learning how to give access to a shared mailbox in Outlook is useful when employees need to manage a common email address, such as info@company.com, sales@company.com, or support@company.com. A shared mailbox allows multiple authorised users to read and send emails from the same mailbox without sharing a password. To grant access, you generally need administrator permissions in Microsoft 365 or Exchange, and the steps depend on whether you want someone to read emails, send messages, or manage the mailbox.
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Open the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
If you are an administrator, you can grant shared mailbox access through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
- Open your web browser.
- Visit admin.microsoft.com.
- Sign in using an authorised administrator account.
- Open the Teams & groups section, then select Shared mailboxes. The exact menu placement may vary.
- Select the shared mailbox you want to manage.
If you cannot access the administration centre, contact your organisation’s Microsoft 365 administrator.
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Add a Member to the Shared Mailbox
To allow someone to open and read emails in the shared mailbox, add them as a member.
- Select the shared mailbox.
- Find the Members section.
- Click Edit or Manage members.
- Select Add members.
- Search for the person’s work account.
- Select the correct user and save your changes.
The user may need to wait a short time for the permissions to take effect.
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Grant Full Access Permission
Full Access allows a user to open the shared mailbox and manage its contents, including reading, moving, and deleting emails. It does not automatically allow the user to send messages from that address.
In the Exchange admin center, you can manage this permission by following these steps:
- Visit the Exchange admin center at admin.exchange.microsoft.com.
- Open Recipients and select Mailboxes.
- Locate and select the shared mailbox.
- Open the mailbox delegation or permissions settings.
- Under Read and manage (Full Access), add the intended user.
- Save the changes.
Menu names may vary slightly as Microsoft updates its interface.
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Allow the User to Send Emails from the Shared Mailbox
If the person needs to send emails using the shared address, grant an appropriate sending permission.
Two common options are:
- Send As: Allows the user to send a message that appears to come directly from the shared mailbox.
- Send on Behalf: Allows the user to send messages on behalf of the shared mailbox, with the sender’s identity shown.
In the Exchange admin center, open the shared mailbox’s delegation settings and add the user under the relevant Send As or Send on Behalf permission. Save the changes.
Grant only the permissions the user needs.
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Open the Shared Mailbox in Outlook
Once permissions have been assigned, the user can access the mailbox in Outlook.
In the new Outlook for Windows:
- Open Outlook.
- Go to Mail.
- Right-click your account or select the relevant account menu.
- Choose Add shared folder or mailbox, if available.
- Enter the shared mailbox address and follow the prompts.
In classic Outlook for Windows, a shared mailbox may appear automatically after permissions have been applied. If it does not, restart Outlook or ask your administrator to check the mailbox permissions.
In Outlook on the web, sign in at outlook.office.com, click your profile or account menu, and look for the option to open another mailbox. Enter the shared mailbox address.
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Test the Access
After setup, confirm that the user can open the shared mailbox and perform the tasks they need.
- Check whether the Inbox and other folders are visible.
- Send a test email if sending permissions were granted.
- Confirm whether the message appears as the shared mailbox or as a message sent on its behalf.
- If access fails, allow time for permissions to update and verify that the correct user was added.
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