OLEXP: Overview of the Multiple Users Feature in Outlook Express

This article describes how to enable multiple users to gain access to Outlook Express.

Multiple users can use Outlook Express to gain access to e-mail messages and Contact information in a separate and uniquely configured environment.

Use the multiple users feature in the following situations:

• When different users who have different e-mail accounts and personal information use the same computer. This scenario is most common for users who share a single Apple Macintosh computer.
• When one user wants to separate personal e-mail messages and contact items from items that are associated with work.

How to Create a New User

To create a new user:

1. On the File menu, click Change Current User.
2. When you are prompted to close all connections and windows for the current user, click Yes.
3. In the Select a User dialog box, click New User.
4. In the New User box, type a name to identify the new user.
5. Either click a user in the Base Initial Settings On box to base the new user profile on that user's settings, or select the default settings. Click Save.

You are first prompted to import messages and contacts from another program. If you use Netscape Communicator or Claris E-mailer, you can click Yes to import information for use in Outlook Express. If you choose not to import messages or contacts, you can import them at a later time. If you do not need to import any information, click No.

A series of New Account dialog boxes are displayed to assist you with setting up account information for your new user, such as e-mail addresses and server names.

How to Switch to Your New User

Outlook Express uses the "Main User" by default. To switch to a different user, perform the steps in the "How to Create a New User" section of this article, but click the user that you created in the Select a User dialog box, and then click OK. Outlook Express uses the most recently selected user when starting.

Outlook Express creates a unique folder structure to store user information for your new identity. The default path for storing the user is: NOTE: The preceding path is the location where Outlook Express is installed by the recent versions of the Macintosh operating system.