Shared mailboxes let authorized team members work with addresses such as a sales or departmental inbox. Your organization must grant access before the mailbox can be opened or used to send messages.
Before you add the mailbox
Confirm the shared address and that your organization has approved your access. Reading a mailbox and sending as that mailbox are separate permissions. Being able to open its folders does not prove that you can send from its address.
Use your own work account to access a shared mailbox. Do not exchange a colleague’s password to gain access.
Open the mailbox
- Restart Outlook after access has been granted and check whether the shared mailbox appears in the folder pane.
- If it does not, use the shared-mailbox or shared-folder option supported by your Outlook version. In Outlook on the web, your profile menu may offer Open another mailbox; enter the shared address.
- If access is denied, note the exact message and contact AvrinTech. Do not keep guessing passwords or remove your main account.
Check the From address before sending
Start a new message or reply from the shared mailbox and display the From field if necessary. Select the intended shared address before sending. Send one harmless test to a colleague and ask them to confirm the displayed sender.
Send As and Send on behalf produce different sender displays. If recipients see your name on behalf of the department, tell us whether that matches your organization’s intended behavior.
What to include in your ticket
- Your work address and the shared mailbox address.
- Whether you need reading access, sending access, or both.
- Your Outlook version and whether web access works.
- The exact access or delivery error and a test recipient’s sender display.
Permission changes require authorization from your organization; simply adding an address in Outlook does not grant access.
Further guidance: Microsoft: open and use a shared mailbox.
