Accessing a Shared Mailbox Email Account
This article covers how users who have been granted access to a shared mailbox email account can access the account in their desktop Outlook app or in Outlook on the Web.
Pre-Requisites:
- The email account must be set up as a shared mailbox email account. DITCs must have specifically requested a new shared mailbox email account or requested that an existing account be converted into a shared mailbox account.
- An owner of the email account must add you to the distribution list associated with the shared mailbox account.
Please note that it may take up to two hours for your access to a shared mailbox email account to be added once you have been added to the appropriate distribution list.
Need to modify the Automatic Replies for a shared mailbox email account? You'll need to access the account using Outlook on the Web and then you can access the Automatic Replies using Settings.
Choose how you want to access the shared mailbox email account:
The shared mailbox email account will automatically appear in your Windows PC Outlook desktop app within two hours of your access being added by an account owner. It should continue to appear in Outlook for as long as you have permissions to the account.
If you added this account to your Outlook desktop app before it was converted a shared mailbox email account, you will need to remove the account from your Outlook desktop app and then restart Outlook.
1. The shared mailbox email account will automatically appear in the left panel of your Outlook desktop app. If you don't see it after two hours, try exiting Outlook and then re-opening it.
2. Click on the carat (>) next to the shared mailbox email account to view the folders, including the Inbox.
The shared mailbox email account needs to be manually added to your Mac Outlook desktop app, but once added it should continue to appear in Outlook for as long as you have permissions to the account.
There are two different ways to add a shared mailbox in Outlook for Mac. If you do not see the Shared Mailbox option, try following the additional mailbox instructions instead.
1. Click on File > Open > Shared Mailbox.
2. Enter the name or username of the shared mailbox email account. Then select it from the search results and click Add.
- Enter the name (e.g., Student Genius Center) or username (e.g., sgc) of the shared mailbox email account to search for it.
- Select the shared mailbox email account from the search results.
- Then click Add.
3. You may see a "Checking Permissions" message for several minutes as Outlook verifies your access to the account.
If it has been less than two hours since your access was added, you may get an error. Try again after two hours.
4. You'll see the shared mailbox email account appear in the left panel of your Outlook desktop app.
5. Click on the carat (>) next to the shared mailbox email account to view the folders, including the Inbox.
1. Click on Tools and select Accounts.
- Click on the Tools menu.
- Then select Accounts.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Select the Delegates tab. Then click on the plus sign button under Open these additional mailboxes.
- Select the Delegates tab.
- Then click on the plus sign button under Open these additional mailboxes.
4. Enter the name or username of the shared mailbox email account. Then select it from the search results and click Add.
- Enter the name (e.g., IT Pickup) or username (e.g., itpickup) of the shared mailbox email account to search for it.
- Select the shared mailbox email account from the search results.
- Then click Add.
5. Click OK.
6. You'll see the shared mailbox email account appear in the left panel of your Outlook desktop app.
7. Click on the carat (>) next to the shared mailbox email account to view the folders, including the Inbox.
The shared mailbox email account will need to be manually opened in Outlook in the Web each time that you want to access the account using the instructions below.
1. Click on your profile icon at the top right and then select Open another mailbox.
2. Enter the name or username of the shared mailbox email account. Then select it from the search results.
3. Then click Open.
If it has been less than two hours since your access was added, you may get an error. Try again after two hours.
4. The shared mailbox email account will appear in a new window/tab.
These instructions are shown on an Apple iPhone, but the steps are the same for Android devices.
1. Tap on the profile image at the top left of the Outlook app.
2. Then tap on the Settings icon at the bottom left.
3. Tap Add Mail Account in the Mail Accounts section.
4. Tap Add Shared Mailbox.
Don't see the option to add a shared mailbox? Check to see if there are any updates to the Outlook app available in the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
5. Enter the username of the shared mailbox email account. Then tap Add Shared Mailbox.
- The @fullerton.edu is already populated in this field, so you only need to add the username (e.g., sgc) for the email account.
- Then tap Add Shared Mailbox.
6. Within a few minutes, you should see the shared mailbox appear in your Mail Accounts.
7. There are three views for your inbox now: All Accounts together, just your personal account, or just the shared mailbox email account. Use the profile menu icon to expand your options and select the view you want to use.
Depending on how many email accounts that you have added to your Outlook mobile app, you may see more than these three options.
- The global icon in the profile menu means you are seeing all of the inboxes/folders for your accounts together in one view. Note there is not an easy way to differentiate the email messages in the list view, but when you tap on a specific email you will be able to tell which account received the message by looking at the To field.
- Typically the second account in the profile menu is your personal CSUF email account and is denoted with the first letter of your first name. Tap this icon to view just the inbox and folders for your personal CSUF email account.
- Typically the third account in the profile menu is the shared mailbox email account and is denoted with the first letter of the display name. Tap this icon to view just the inbox and folders for the shared mailbox email account.
Need More Help?
Contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777.