Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook

Add a shared mailbox to classic Outlook

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

Send mail from the shared mailbox

1. Open classic Outlook.

2. Choose New Email.

3. If you don't see the From field at the top of your message, choose Options > 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. Choose OK.

6. Finish typing your message and 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 your shared mailbox, your recipients will only see the shared email address in the message.

Reply to mail sent to the shared mailbox

1. Open classic Outlook.

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 and 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 Outlook, searching within it is similar to searching on a Primary Mailbox.

1. Open classic Outlook.

2. Select a folder within the Shared Mailbox on the Folder Panel on the left.

3. Type the query in the Search Box on top of the Ribbon (Tool Bar).

4. Begin the Search by pressing Enter or clicking on the Magnifier Button on the right of the Search Box.

   The Message List will return results based on the Search from the selected folder on the Shared Mailbox.

Use the shared calendar

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

   

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

3. 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

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 classic Outlook, choose People.

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

   

Add the shared mailbox so it displays under your primary mailbox

If you want to monitor the email from your primary mailbox and the shared mailbox at the same time, use this method. After you complete this task, the shared mailbox and its folders are displayed in the left navigation pane each time you open Outlook on the web.

1. Sign in to your account in Outlook on the web.

2. For Exchange Online mailboxes, right-click Folders in the left navigation pane, and then choose Add shared folder or mailbox. For Exchange on-premises mailboxes, right-click the name of your primary mailbox (such as Molly Dempsey) in the left navigation pane, and then choose Add shared folder or mailbox.

   

3. In the Add shared folder dialog box, type the name of the shared mailbox you are a member of, such as info@contoso.com.

The shared mailbox displays in your Folder list in Outlook on the web. You can expand or collapse the shared mailbox folders as you can with your primary mailbox. You also can remove the shared mailbox from your Folder list. To remove it, right-click the shared mailbox, and then click Remove shared folder.

Receive notifications of new messages in a shared mailbox

To receive notifications of new messages in the Inbox of a shared mailbox, you must open the shared mailbox in a separate browser window.

Open the shared mailbox in a separate browser window

Use this method if you want to view and manage the email for the shared mailbox in its own browser window. This method also lets you receive notifications of new items in the Inbox of the shared mailbox.

1. Sign in to your account in Outlook on the web.

2. On the Outlook on the web navigation bar, click your name. A list appears.

3. Click Open another mailbox.

4. Type the email address of the other mailbox that you want to open, and then click Open. Another Outlook on the web session opens in a separate window, allowing access to the other mailbox.

   Tip: If you mistype the email address of the mailbox, the result is "No match was found". Try typing the email address again.​​​​​​​

Send email from the shared mailbox

1. Choose New mail above the folder list. A new message form opens in the reading pane.

2. At the top of the message, choose > Show From.

   

   This option shows you that the people who receive the email message will see it comes from the shared mailbox and not from your own email account.

3. The first time you use the shared mailbox, you need to add the address to the options available in the From drop-down list:

   1. Right-click the From address and choose Remove.

      

   2. Type the shared address. The next time you reply from the shared mailbox, its address will appear as an option in the From drop-down list.

4. To add recipients, type the name of anyone who is in your contacts folder or organization’s address list, or type the email address in the To or Cc box. The first time you enter a person’s name, Outlook on the web searches for that person’s address. In the future, the name is cached so it resolves quickly.

5. Type a subject.

6. Type the message you want to send.

7. When your message is ready to go, click Send.

Reply to mail sent to the shared mailbox

The first time you reply to a message sent to the shared mailbox, you need to add the shared address to the From drop-down box. Here's how to do that:

1. Open Outlook on the web and go to your shared mailbox.

2. Open a message that was sent to the shared address.

3. Click Reply.

4. At the top of the message, choose > Show From.

   

5. Right-click the From address and choose Remove.

   

6. Type the shared address and send the message. The next time you reply from the shared mailbox, its address will appear as an option in the From drop-down list.

Send automatic replies from a shared mailbox

Only your Microsoft 365 admin has permissions to set up the ability to send automatic replies from a shared mailbox. For instructions, ask your admin to see Create a shared mailbox.