What is a Shared Outlook Mailbox?
A shared Outlook Mailbox allows a group of people, maybe within a business team, or working on a project, to monitor and use a single email address.
Before you can access and use this account, the admin for your team needs to add shared mailbox to Outlook 365 first. Once they have created an email address, you can then be set up and permitted to use it.
When sending or receiving messages from the shared address, you will only see that address, not that of the individual. You cannot directly login to this email address, only use it when creating emails.
This is useful for a business to direct the correct emails towards a suitable person or be able to stay on top of all incoming emails and manage the team accordingly.
Once you have been permitted to add the shared mailbox to your Outlook 365 accounts, you can set up your folder for all messages of this address to filter into. This will help manage your account.
How To Add a Shared Email Account to Outlook
You can add a shared mailbox to Outlook on the web version of Office 365, or mobile version using the following simple steps.
Remember, you can only add this account once the admin has added you as a member. Sometimes it will automatically appear in your folders, if it doesn’t you will need to manually set this up in order to send and receive emails via the shared address (learn more about how to create folders in Outlook).
Keep reading to learn how!
Add Shared Mailbox to Outlook via Web
Add Outlook shared mailbox to your account by using the web. You will first need to log in with your primary email address within Office 365.
- Open the client and select File Tab
- Select Account Settings, and Account Settings again
- Click Email tab
- Highlight the correct email address and choose change
- Select More Settings → Advanced → Add
- Input the shared email address
- Click OK, then OK again
- Finally, select Next → Finish → Close.
Add Shared Account to Outlook via Mobile
First, install the Outlook app on your device.
- Sign into primary mail account within the app
- Click Add Account → Add Shared Mailbox
- Select the mail account that has been permitted to use a shared email.
The address will now show in your account list. If you wish to remove it, simply head into your settings within the mobile app, choose an account, then choose an address to delete.
How to Send an Email from a Shared Mailbox in Outlook
Follow these instructions:
- Open Outlook or Office 365
- Choose to create New Email
- If the shared address doesn’t show within the From field at the top, click to change.
- Type in a message and send!
When sending email from shared mailbox it will become visible for anyone else within the group to see and reply to (read more about how to create a group in Outlook).
How to Reply to an Email from a Shared Account in Outlook
Follow the steps below:
- Open the message you wish to reply to
- If the shared email address isn’t in the From field, click the drop-down menu to add it.
- Type in your message and send.
Recipients of this message will only be able to see the shared email address, not your primary account.
How Clean Email Can Help Manage Your Mailbox
While Clean Email cannot create a shared address or add it, the app can help keep your Outlook mailbox clean, organised, and easier to use!
You can monitor and manage your mail, folders and even set auto rules to remove any tedious manual tasks. Follow these guide to learn more about how to use Outlook and how to have a clean Outlook inbox.
The Auto Clean feature allows you to set rules to make your email routine easier. You can automatically move emails from a specific sender straight to a certain folder.
For example, the app can move emails from LinkedIn to Trash or Archive once they hit your inbox. You can manage your mailbox more efficiently when all related emails are within one folder. This is handy for clearing up your inbox, enabling you to boost email productivity!
Smart Views are automatically created labels for your emails to be sorted into. You can easily access emails from a specific sender, emails from six months ago, your most popular sender, finance or travel messages, social media notifications, and more.
By sorting emails into easy to manage bundles, you will increase your productivity, and reduce your time spent managing and organising emails.
Unsubscriber is a super simple tool that makes unsubscribing from spam, newsletters, or mailing lists you no longer wish to receive quick and easy!
Simply click on the Unsubscriber tool, and choose to either read later, unsubscribe, or keep. By choosing to read later, emails will appear in a different folder, making your inbox clean and tidy. You can always change your mind later within the unsubscriber tool.
The app works hard to ensure your information is secure, and your emails are always private.
Wondering how to become an email guru? Check out our guides on how to stop junk email in Outlook, the Outlook vs Gmail comparison, and how to use Outlook snooze email feature.
How to Add a Shared Mailbox in Outlook - FAQs
How do I manually add a shared mailbox in Outlook?
Open Outlook and click File Tab. Then choose Account Settings and click the Email Tab. Highlight the correct email and choose change. After that select More Settings → Advanced → Add, and input the shared email address. Confirm your action.
How do I access a shared mailbox in Outlook?
Before you can access it, you need to be given permission by the admin. Once you have done this, you can send a message via the shared address by selecting the correct address from the From Field within an email. If it does not appear, manually type it in.
How do I add a shared mailbox in Outlook 2021?
Head into the Shared Mailbox page and select Add Shared Mailbox. Once you have completed the steps you can add members to the Shared Outlook Mailbox.
Why can't I see a shared mailbox in Outlook?
If you have been added to a shared account, it should appear in your folders section. If not, you will need to manually add the mailbox to your email.
