How to assign users or groups full access to other user mailboxes

This article explains how to assign mailbox permissions in Microsoft Exchange Server to users or to groups that are not the primary account that is associated with that mailbox.

Unlike Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 use the Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory Access Control Lists (ACLs) to assign security and permission information to Exchange mailboxes.

By default, only the user who is the mailbox owner has the required permissions to open his or her mailbox. This differs from Exchange Server 5.5, where the service account , by default, is granted access to all mailboxes.

Note The service account is the account that is selected during installation to start the Exchange Server services.

To grant access to an Exchange 2000 or an Exchange 2003 mailbox, follow these steps.

Note You must have the appropriate Exchange administrative permissions to do this.

1. Start Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. On the View menu, ensure that the Advanced Features check box is selected.
3. Double-click the user whose mailbox you want to give permissions to.
4. On the Exchange Advanced tab, click Mailbox Rights.
5. Click Add, click the user or group who you want to have access to this mailbox, and then click OK.
6. Be sure that the user or group is selected in the Name box. In the Permissions list, click Allow next to Full Access, and then click OK.

For more information about how to allow an account to have access to all mailboxes, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: