How To Add A Shared Mailbox In Outlook [All Versions]

A shared mailbox lets multiple people monitor and respond from a single address — like info@ or support@ — without sharing login credentials. The admin creates it — you just need to connect it to your Outlook.

Most of the time, the mailbox appears automatically (a feature called automapping). When it doesn’t, manual setup takes about two minutes.

Quick paths by version:

• Classic Outlook: File > Account Settings > Change > More Settings > Advanced > Add
• New Outlook/Web: Right-click account > Add shared folder or mailbox
• Mac: Tools > Accounts > Delegation and Sharing > +

How do you add a shared mailbox in Classic Outlook?

Classic Outlook for Windows requires navigating through Account Settings — more clicks than newer versions, but the same end result.

Manual addition

1. Click File in the ribbon
2. Select Account Settings > Account Settings
3. Select your email account and click Change
4. Click More Settings
5. Go to the Advanced tab
6. Click Add under “Open these additional mailboxes.”
7. Enter the shared mailbox email address
8. Click OK through all dialogs
9. Restart Outlook

The mailbox appears in your folder pane after restarting. Expand it to see Inbox, Sent Items, Calendar, and other folders.

Adding as an account

For full functionality (including calendar reminders), some users add the shared mailbox as a separate account instead of a folder.

1. Click File > Add Account
2. Enter the shared mailbox email address
3. Follow prompts (may need admin assistance for authentication)

Method	From field behavior	Sent items location	Calendar reminders
Added as folder	Must select manually each time	Goes to your Sent folder	Not supported
Added as account	Defaults to shared address	Goes to shared Sent folder	Supported

Adding as account works well when the shared mailbox is your primary responsibility.

How do you add a shared mailbox in New Outlook?

New Outlook streamlines the process — fewer clicks, simpler interface.

1. Right-click your account name in the folder pane (or right-click “Folders”)
2. Select Add shared folder or mailbox
3. Enter the shared mailbox email address
4. Click Add

The mailbox appears under a “Shared with me” section in your folder pane.

Current limitations

New Outlook treats shared mailboxes as resources rather than full accounts — a distinction that limits certain features.

Feature	Status in New Outlook
Shared contacts	Not currently supported
Mailbox rules	Not supported
Automatic replies	Admin must configure (users cannot)
Adding as full account	Not yet available
Calendar reminders	Limited functionality

Microsoft plans to expand shared mailbox support in future updates.

How do you add a shared mailbox in Outlook on the web?

OWA follows the same method as New Outlook — the two share underlying code.

1. Right-click your account name or “Folders” in the navigation pane
2. Select Add shared folder or mailbox
3. Enter the shared mailbox email address
4. Click Add

Settings sync between New Outlook and OWA. Add the mailbox in one place, and it appears in both.

How do you add a shared mailbox in Outlook for Mac?

Mac has its own interface but similar functionality.

1. Click Tools in the menu bar
2. Select Accounts
3. Click Delegation and Sharing (or Advanced > Delegates in older versions)
4. Go to the Shared With Me tab
5. Click the + button
6. Search for and select the shared mailbox
7. Click Add

Mac users sometimes see an “Autodiscover” prompt — check “Always use my response for this server” and click Allow.

How do you add a shared mailbox on mobile?

Mobile access is possible but varies by organization settings and app version.

1. Open the Outlook app
2. Tap your profile icon (top left)
3. Tap the Settings gear
4. Tap Add Account (or Add Shared Mailbox if available)
5. Enter the shared mailbox email address
6. Follow authentication prompts

Some organizations restrict shared mailbox access on mobile devices for security reasons.

How does a shared mailbox work?

Shared mailboxes function as team inboxes that multiple people can access simultaneously. Everyone sees the same emails, the same sent folder, and the same calendar — no forwarding or CC chains required.

Attribute	Details
Common examples	info@, support@, billing@, sales@, hr@
Licensing	Mailbox itself needs no license; users accessing it do
Direct sign-in	Not supported (account stays disabled for security)
Included features	Inbox, sent items, drafts, calendar, contacts

The mailbox account itself remains disabled — you can’t sign into it directly. Instead, you access it through your own Outlook while logged into your personal account.

It’s worth noting that shared mailboxes differ from distribution lists. Distribution lists forward emails to members’ personal inboxes — shared mailboxes are accessed directly.

What permissions do you need?

Before adding any shared mailbox, an admin must grant you access. Without permissions, the mailbox won’t appear — and manual addition will fail with an error.

Permission	What it allows
Full Access	Open mailbox, read emails, manage folders
Send As	Send emails appearing to come from the shared address
Send on Behalf	Send emails showing “Your Name on behalf of Shared Mailbox”

Full Access alone lets you read and manage. Add Send As if you need replies to appear from the shared address (not your personal one). Without Send As, recipients see your email as the sender — or the awkward “on behalf of” format.

If you’re getting permission errors, contact your IT admin or mailbox owner.

Will the mailbox appear automatically?

Usually, yes. Microsoft’s automapping feature detects when an admin grants Full Access and pushes the mailbox to your Outlook profile automatically.

Aspect	Details
Timing	Minutes to 24 hours (rarely longer)
Trigger	Admin grants Full Access permission
Appearance	Shows in folder pane after Outlook restart
Admin control	Can be disabled via PowerShell

Restart Outlook if the mailbox doesn’t show up right away. When automapping fails (or your admin disabled it), manual addition becomes necessary.

How do you send from the shared address?

Adding the mailbox is only half the equation. Sending emails from the shared address requires selecting it in the From field — otherwise, replies go out from your personal account.

Platform	How to send from shared address
Classic Outlook	Click From > select shared address
New Outlook/Web	Click From dropdown > select shared mailbox
Mac	Click From field > select shared address
Mobile	Switch to shared mailbox account before composing

The first time you send, you may need to type the shared address manually. Outlook remembers it afterward. If the From button isn’t visible in Classic Outlook, enable it via Options > Show From.

Without Send As permission, you can only send “on behalf of” — recipients will see “Your Name on behalf of Shared Mailbox.”

How do you access the shared calendar?

Shared mailboxes include calendars by default — useful for scheduling team coverage or tracking shared resources.

Platform	How to access
Classic Outlook	Expand shared mailbox in folder pane > click Calendar
New Outlook/Web	Calendar icon > shared calendar appears in list
Mac	Calendar view > listed under “Shared Calendars”

Appointments created by any team member appear for everyone with access. Calendar reminders only work if the mailbox is added as a full account — users who added it as a folder won’t receive popup notifications.

Troubleshooting

Common issues usually trace back to permissions or configuration.

Issue	Cause	Solution
Mailbox not appearing	Automapping delay	Wait up to 24 hours, restart Outlook
Still not showing	Automapping disabled	Add manually using steps above
“You don’t have permission”	Permissions not granted	Contact admin to verify Full Access
Can’t send from shared address	Missing Send As permission	Contact admin to add Send As
Sent items going to personal folder	Added as folder, not account	Add as account or ask admin to configure
No calendar reminders	Added as folder	Add mailbox as full account instead

If nothing works, ask your admin to confirm:

• Full Access permission is granted to your account
• Your user account has an active Exchange license
• Automapping is enabled (if expecting automatic appearance)
• Send As permission is granted (if you need to send from the address)

Admins can verify permissions via Exchange Admin Center or PowerShell.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some commonly asked questions about the shared mailbox in Outlook: