Microsoft 365 Help Add and use a shared mailbox
Open a team mailbox, such as Projects, alongside your own email.
Before you start
- The office has given your own work account access to the shared mailbox. Adding it in Outlook does not grant permission.
- The exact shared email address, such as the Projects mailbox address confirmed by the office. Do not guess the spelling.
Choose the option that matches your screen or the task you want to do.
New Outlook
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Check whether it is already present
Close and reopen new Outlook after the office grants access. In the left folder pane, look for the shared mailbox or expand Shared with me.
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Open the add-shared menu
If absent, right-click your own work account name in the folder pane and select Add shared folder or mailbox.
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Enter the shared address
Type the full shared mailbox address supplied by the office. Choose the matching result and select Add.
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Expand its folders
Find the mailbox under Shared with me and expand it. Select its Inbox to read messages sent to that address.
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Prepare a message from the shared address
Select New mail. If From is hidden, use Options > Show From. Select From and choose the shared address, or choose Other email address and type it.
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Check sending permission
Send a test to your own work address only if the office has authorised sending from this mailbox. Check the received sender display; Send As and Send on behalf look different.
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Use account-style settings if available
Some new Outlook builds offer Settings > Accounts > Shared with me, then Add or Convert. This exposes more shared-mailbox settings using your existing permissions. If you only need the folder list, the steps above are sufficient.
Classic Outlook
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Restart Outlook and check
After access is granted, close and reopen Outlook. Look below your own mailbox in the left folder list. If the shared mailbox is already present, expand it and skip the manual-add steps.
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Open account settings
Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Open the Email tab and select your own work account.
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Open the advanced mailbox settings
Choose Change > More Settings > Advanced. These settings belong to your signed-in work account.
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Add the mailbox
Select Add, type the exact shared email address and confirm. Close the dialogs with OK, then Next, Finish and Close as offered.
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Open its Inbox
Return to Mail, expand the shared mailbox in the left folder list and select its Inbox. Restart Outlook if it has not appeared yet.
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Show the sender field
Create a new email and select Options > From. Choose the shared address from From, or choose Other email address and enter it.
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Check a test message
If sending is authorised, send a test to yourself. Confirm the sender presentation and ask the office to resolve any permission error.
You have finished when…
- The shared Inbox opens under your work sign-in, and any authorised test sends with the expected sender.
Helpful tips
- Always check the From address before sending. Send As shows the shared address; Send on behalf can show your name on behalf of that mailbox.
- Access given through a security group may not make the mailbox appear automatically. Manual addition can still be required.
- A shared mailbox is shared work: agree with colleagues who responds so a client does not receive duplicate answers.
Something looks different?
The mailbox is not found or access is denied
Verify the exact address with the office and ask it to check Full Access permission for your own account. New permissions may take time to become available.
It opens but sending fails
Opening a mailbox does not automatically give Send As or Send on behalf permission. Ask the office to check the sending permission.
Outlook asks for the shared mailbox password
Cancel. Use the shared-mailbox addition path while signed in to your own work account, rather than adding it as an ordinary password-based account.
Microsoft help & further guidance
Menu names can change as Microsoft updates the apps. These official pages include further instructions.