Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook

A shared mailbox makes it easy for a group of people to monitor and send email from a public email alias like [e-mail]. When a person in the group replies to a message sent to the shared mailbox, the email appears to be from the shared address, not from the individual user. In classic Outlook, you can also use the shared mailbox as a shared team calendar. A shared mailbox is also suitable for use as a "noreply" email account.

Tip: If you're a small business owner looking for more information on how to get Microsoft 365 set up, visit Small business help & learning.

A shared mailbox isn't designed for anyone who's sharing the mailbox to sign in directly to the account. The account for the shared mailbox itself should stay in a disabled state.

Tip: Before you can use a shared mailbox, the Microsoft 365 admin for your organization has to create it and add you as a member. For more information, see Create a shared mailbox, which describes what the admin needs to do.

Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?

New OutlookClassic OutlookOutlook on the web

Note: If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select the Classic Outlook tab and follow those steps instead.

Add a shared mailbox to Outlook

After your admin has added you as a member of a shared mailbox, close and then restart new Outlook. The shared mailbox should automatically display in your Folder pane.

What if it didn't work?

If your admin only recently added you to a shared mailbox, it may take a few minutes before the shared mailbox appears. Wait a bit and then close and restart the new Outlook again. Or, add the shared box manually.

1. Select Mail from the navigation pane in new Outlook.

2. In the Folder pane, right-click your account name, and select Add shared folder or mailbox.

   

3. In the Add shared folder or mailbox window, type the name of the mailbox you want to access, for example, [e-mail].

   Note: You can add the shared mailbox at any time, but before you can start using it, your IT admin must add you as a member.

Find the shared mailbox in the folder pane

In the folder pane on the left, locate the Shared with me folder. Click the folder to expand it. Your shared mailbox is a subfolder under Shared with me. When you select the name of the shared mailbox there, it will expand to show the standard email folders, such as Inbox, Drafts, and Sent Items.

Send mail from the shared mailbox

1. Select Mail from the navigation pane in new Outlook for Windows.

2. On the Home tab, select New > Mail.

3. If you don't see the From field at the top of your message (next to Send), on the Options tab, select Show From.

4. Click From in the message, and change to the shared email address. If you don't see your shared email address, choose Other email address and then type in the shared email address.

5. Finish typing your message, then choose Send.

   From now on when you want to send a message from your shared mailbox, the address will be available in your From drop down list.

   Whenever you send a message from a shared mailbox, your recipients only see the shared email address in the message.

Reply to mail sent to the shared mailbox

1. Open new Outlook for Windows.

2. Open the email message you want to reply to.

3. In the From field at the top of your message, you should see the name of your shared mailbox. If you don't, choose the From dropdown box and choose your shared mailbox.

4. Finish typing your message, then choose Send.

   When you want to send a message from your shared mailbox, the address will be available in your From drop down list.

   Whenever you send a message from your shared mailbox, your recipients will only see the shared email address in the message.

Search on the shared mailbox

Once a shared mailbox is added to new Outlook, searching within it is similar to searching on a primary mailbox.

1. Open new Outlook for Windows.

2. Select a folder within the shared mailbox in the folder pane. 

   

3. In the Search box at the top of the Outlook window, type the query you want to use for searching, then press Enter.

   The message list will show results based on the search from that selected folder in the shared mailbox.

Use the shared calendar from the shared mailbox

After your admin has added you as a member of shared mailbox, close and then restart Outlook. The shared calendar associated with the shared mailbox is automatically added to your Calendars list.

1. In Outlook go to calendar view, and choose the shared mailbox.

   When you enter appointments, everyone who is a member of the shared mailbox will be able to see them.

2. Any member of the shared mailbox can create, view, and manage appointments on the calendar, just like they would their personal appointments. Everyone who is a member of shared mailbox can see their changes to the shared calendar.

Use the shared contact list in the mailbox

After your admin has added you as a member of shared mailbox, close and then restart Outlook. The shared contact list associated with the shared mailbox is automatically added to your My Contacts list.

1. In Outlook, choose People.

2. Under My Contacts, choose the contacts folder for the shared contacts list.

What else do I need to know about shared mailboxes in the new Outlook?

Currently, shared mailboxes can be added as resources. In an upcoming update, the capability to add shared mailboxes as accounts will enable greater access to use and manage the mailbox settings. Adding a shared mailbox as an account will include support for the following capabilities:

Notifications	Unread count	Automatic replies
Categories	Preference for accessible content	Focused inbox
Message format	Attachment preference	Rules
Conditional formatting	Sweep	Junk mail
Quick steps	Forwarding	Retention policies
Events and invitations	Work hours

Other capabilities that are not available today for shared mailboxes, but will be added in a future update:

• Access to the Online Archive / In-Place Archive of the shared mailbox

• Granting new delegated access to a mailbox