Office 365 - Shared Mailbox

A shared Office 365 mailbox can be accessed by two more more individuals, allowing emails to be managed and replied to by multiple people during the business day, regardless of who is on duty. Shared mailbox members do not access the shared mailbox directly. Instead, members are set as delegates to the mailbox, which allows them to access the mailbox through the Outlook application or web browser without needing a separate account username and password to manage.

Request a new shared mailbox

Complete and submit the Microsoft Shared Mailbox Form to initiate the mailbox creation process.

Grant delegate access to a shared mailbox

  1. Please have the owner of shared email account contact the NDSU IT Service Center to request delegate access.
    • If the owner is not known you may contact the NDSU IT Service Center for further assistance
  2. Once delegate access has been granted, the owner can provide the instructions below to the person(s) who will have access to the shared account.

Connect to a shared mailbox

Outlook for Windows

Once delegate access is granted the shared mailbox should automatically appear in the lower left of your outlook email client.

Complete the following steps only if the shared mailbox does not automatically show up in the Account List:

  1. From Outlook, click on File
  2. Select Account Settings and click Account Settings
  3. Select the Email tab
  4. Select your account
  5. Click the Change button
  6. Click More Settings
  7. Click Advanced
  8. Click the Add button
  9. Enter the @ndsu.edu email address of the shared mailbox
  10. Click OK
  11. Click Apply and OK
  12. Click Next
  13. Click Done
  14. Click Close
  15. Close and restart Outlook
  16. The shared mailbox should now appear in the Account List in the left menu

Outlook (New) for Windows

  1. From Outlook, right-click your email address on the left side panel
  2. Select Add shared folder or mailbox
  3. Enter the shared mailbox email address
  4. Select Add
  5. Select "Shared with me" on the left side panel (toward the bottom)
  6. The shared mailbox(es) should display there

*To favorite a shared mailbox, right-click "Favorites" and select "Add favorite" to search for a shared mailbox to add.

Outlook for Mac

  1. Open Outlook for Mac
  2. Select File
  3. Select Open
  4. Select Shared Mailbox
  5. Search for the shared mailbox address and select the mailbox
  6. Select Add to add the account

Online Web Access (OWA for Windows and Mac)

  1. Go to the Microsoft Outlook login page
  2. Log in to your account using your N.D. University System Account and password
  3. In the upper right corner, click on the profile photo
  4. Choose Open Other Mailbox
  5. Enter the mailbox name for the shared mailbox you want to access (e.g. ndsu.exampleaccount@ndsu.edu) and click OK
  6. Click Open, and the account will then open in a new window or tab

How Send From the Shared Mailbox

If you are using Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac to access the shared mailbox, you may have to enable the From line before you can send from the shared mailbox. Follow the directions below to enable the From line to send from the shared mailbox.

Sending using Outlook for Windows

  1. Click New Email to open a new email message
  2. Click Options from the menu bar
  3. Click From within the Show Fields section in the Ribbon which will display the From line above the To line
  4. Click the From button and select Other Email Address...
  5. Enter the address of the shared mailbox address you are a delegate to, ex: ndsu.itservice@ndsu.edu, and click OK
  6. You can compose and send the email from the shared mailbox
    1. Sent messages will show up in the Sent Items folder of the shared mailbox

Sending using Outlook (New) for Windows

  1. Click the Gear icon in the upper right corner to open Settings
  2. Click Mail on the left of the Settings menu
  3. Click Compose from the Mail settings menu
  4. Check the Always show From box
  5. Click Save and close the Settings window
  6. Click New to open a new email message
  7. Click the From address and select Other email address if you do not see the shared mailbox in the list
  8. Enter the address of the shared mailbox address you are a delegate to, ex: ndsu.itservice@ndsu.edu, and select the shared mailbox address or press Tab
  9. You can compose and send the email from the shared mailbox

    1. Sent messages will show up in the Sent Items folder of the shared mailbox

Sending using Outlook for Mac

  1. If you have not done the steps above to connect to the shared mailbox in Outlook, you will need to do this first
  2. Click New Mail to open a new email message
  3. Click your email address in the From field
  4. Select the shared mailbox you want to send from
    1. If the shared mailbox does not show up, do the following
    2. Click Other email address...
    3. Enter the shared mailbox address you are a delegate to, ex: ndsu.itservice@ndsu.edu, and select the account
    4. Click OK
  5. You can compose and send the email from the shared mailbox
    1. Sent messages will show up in the Sent Items folder of the shared mailbox

Add/Edit Automatic Reply on Shared Mailbox

  1. Go to the Microsoft Outlook login page
  2. Log in to your account using your N.D. University System Account and password
  3. In the upper right corner, click on the profile photo
  4. Choose Open Other Mailbox
  5. Enter the mailbox name for the shared mailbox you want to access (e.g. ndsu.exampleaccount@ndsu.edu) and click OK
  6. Click Open, and the account will then open in a new window or tab
  7. Click on the Settings/Gear icon at the top right next to your profile photo
  8. Click Account on the left side pane
  9. Select Automatic replies to set one

See Also


Keywords:
office, 365, account, shared, shared email, shared email account, shared mailbox, shared calendar 
Doc ID:
96025
Owned by:
IT Service Center in NDSU IT Knowledge Base
Created:
2019-11-20
Updated:
2026-09-11
Sites:
NDSU IT Knowledge Base