How to add a shared mailbox in Outlook

A shared mailbox is an email account that multiple people can open and send from within Outlook, without needing separate passwords. Your administrator creates the shared mailbox in Microsoft 365 or Exchange, then grants you permission. Once you have permission, you add it to your Outlook client in a few steps. The process differs slightly between Windows and Mac, but both take less than five minutes.

Before you start, confirm with your administrator that they have already created the shared mailbox and assigned you permission to it. You will need the shared mailbox email address (for example, sales@company.com). If you do not have permission yet, Outlook will show an error when you try to add it, and you will need to ask your administrator to grant access first.

Key Takeaways

  • Your administrator must create the shared mailbox and grant you permission before you can add it to Outlook.
  • On Windows, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select your email account, click Change, then check "Add this mailbox to my profile" and enter the shared mailbox address.
  • On Mac, go to Tools > Accounts, select your email account, click Advanced, then check "Add this mailbox to my profile" and enter the shared mailbox address.
  • After you add the shared mailbox, it appears as a separate folder tree in Outlook, and you can send emails from it by selecting it in the From field.
  • If the shared mailbox does not appear after you add it, restart Outlook or contact your administrator to verify your permissions.

Adding a shared mailbox on Windows Outlook

Open Outlook and go to the File menu at the top left. Click Account Settings, then select Account Settings again from the dropdown. A window will open showing your email accounts. Find and click the account you use to access the shared mailbox (usually your work email), then click the Change button.

In the Change Account window, scroll down until you see the option "Add this mailbox to my profile" with a checkbox next to it. Check that box. Below it, you will see a field labeled "Mailbox to add." Type or paste the full email address of the shared mailbox (for example, sales@company.com). Click Next, then Finish. Outlook will test the connection and add the mailbox if your permissions are correct.

The shared mailbox now appears in your folder list on the left side of Outlook, below your own inbox. It will show as a separate folder tree with its own Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, and other folders. You can click on any folder within it to read or manage those emails.

Adding a shared mailbox on Mac Outlook

Open Outlook and click the Tools menu at the top. Select Accounts from the dropdown. A window will open showing your email accounts. Find and click the account you use to access the shared mailbox, then click the Advanced button at the bottom right.

In the Advanced settings window, look for the checkbox labeled "Add this mailbox to my profile." Check that box. A text field will appear below it labeled "Mailbox to add." Type or paste the full email address of the shared mailbox. Click OK, then close the Accounts window. Outlook will sync and add the shared mailbox to your folder list.

The shared mailbox appears in your folder list on the left side, below your own mailbox folders. You can expand it to see its Inbox, Sent Items, and other folders, just as you would with your own account.

Sending email from a shared mailbox

Once the shared mailbox is added, you can send emails from it. Open a new email by pressing Ctrl+N on Windows or Cmd+N on Mac. In the compose window, look at the From field at the top. Click on it to see a dropdown list of all email addresses you can send from, including your own account and the shared mailbox.

Select the shared mailbox address from the dropdown. The email will now be sent from that address, and replies will go to the shared mailbox inbox instead of your personal inbox. Anyone else with permission to the shared mailbox will see your sent email in the shared mailbox's Sent Items folder.

If you do not see the shared mailbox in the From dropdown, it may not have finished syncing yet. Close and reopen Outlook, or restart your computer. If it still does not appear after 10 minutes, contact your administrator to confirm your permissions are set correctly.

What to do if the shared mailbox does not appear

If you have completed the steps above but the shared mailbox does not show up in Outlook, first try restarting the process. Close Outlook completely, wait 10 seconds, then open it again. Sometimes Outlook needs to refresh its connection to the server.

If the shared mailbox still does not appear, the most common reason is that your administrator has not yet granted you permission, or the permission was granted to a different email account than the one you are using in Outlook. Contact your administrator and ask them to verify that your account has been added to the shared mailbox with the correct permission level (usually "Full Access" or "Send As").

If you see an error message when you try to add the mailbox, note the exact error text and share it with your administrator. Common errors include "The mailbox could not be found" (wrong email address or no permission) or "The operation failed" (temporary server issue). Your administrator can check the server logs to see what went wrong.

Managing multiple shared mailboxes

You can add more than one shared mailbox to the same Outlook profile. Repeat the steps above for each shared mailbox address. Each one will appear as a separate folder tree in your folder list, and you can switch between them in the From field when composing emails.

If you have many shared mailboxes, your folder list can become crowded. You can collapse the folder trees you do not use often by clicking the arrow next to each mailbox name. You can also right-click on a shared mailbox folder and select "Hide" to remove it from view temporarily without removing it from your account.

Removing a shared mailbox from Outlook

If you no longer need access to a shared mailbox, you can remove it from Outlook without affecting the mailbox itself. On Windows, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select your email account, click Change, uncheck "Add this mailbox to my profile," and click Finish. On Mac, go to Tools > Accounts, select your account, click Advanced, uncheck "Add this mailbox to my profile," and click OK.

The shared mailbox will disappear from your folder list when ready. Your administrator can still grant you access again later if needed, and you can add it back to Outlook by following the same steps. Removing it from Outlook does not delete the mailbox or its contents — it only removes it from your view.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send email from a shared mailbox if I do not have full access permission?

It depends on the permission your administrator granted you. If you have "Send As" permission, you can send from the shared mailbox. If you only have "Read" or "Folder Visible" permission, you cannot send from it. Ask your administrator what permission level you have.

Will emails I send from a shared mailbox appear in my personal sent items?

No. Emails sent from a shared mailbox appear only in the shared mailbox's Sent Items folder, not in your personal Sent Items. This is by design, so all team members can see who sent what from the shared account.

What if I accidentally delete an email from the shared mailbox?

It goes to the shared mailbox's Deleted Items folder, not your personal Deleted Items. You or anyone else with access can recover it from there within 30 days (or longer, depending on your organization's retention policy). If it has been permanently deleted, contact your administrator about restoring it from backup.

Can I add a shared mailbox that belongs to a different organization?

No. Shared mailboxes must be in the same Microsoft 365 or Exchange organization as your own email account. If you need to access an email account from a different organization, you will need to add it as a separate account instead, which requires a password.

Does adding a shared mailbox slow down Outlook?

Shared mailboxes may add a small amount of sync time when Outlook starts, especially if the mailbox contains thousands of emails. If you notice slowness, ask your administrator whether you can archive older emails from the shared mailbox to reduce its size.