Open a Shared Mailbox

Written By CTS IT Care Team

Updated at March 22nd, 2024

Once your M365 account is granted access to another mailbox such as contact@yourcompany.com or janedoe@yourcompany.com, you can follow the steps below to log in. 

Important Reminders

  • This is only possible when using the Outlook application and accessing a mailbox that is on the same Microsoft organization. 
  • If you use a different email application or need access to a mailbox under a different domain, please contact our support team so we can provide an alternative solution.
 

 

Windows PC

Upon granting you access to another mailbox, Microsoft Outlook for Windows will automatically add it to the sidebar next to your email account. Please wait 15 minutes and restart your Outlook for the changes to take effect. If after 30 minutes it is still not automatically added, please follow the steps below to open the shared mailbox manually.

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook
  2. Click on "File" followed by "Account Settings" twice (1 & 2 on the screenshot below)  
  3. From the list of accounts, double click on your account to view exchange account settings
  4. From the window below, click "More Settings"
  5. Click on the "Advanced" tab followed by "Add"
  6. You will be prompted with the "Add mailbox" window as shown below. Type the complete email address you would like to open into the field then click "OK". Click "OK" once more to close out of "Microsoft Exchange" window. Close all other open Outlook windows and restart the Outlook application for changes to take effect.

macOS Computer

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook
  2. Click on the "Outlook" drop down from menu bar located up top. Select Preferences / Settings.
  3. From the Outlook Preferences window, click on "Accounts"
  4. Confirm your business email account is selected (1 below), then click on "Delegating and Sharing" (2 below)
  5. Click on the "Shared With Me" tab (1 below), followed by "+" (2 below)
  6. You will be prompted with the "Open mailbox" window as shown below. Type the complete email address you would like to open into the field (1 below) than click "Add" (2 below). Click "Done" to close out of "Shared With Me" window. Close all other open Outlook windows and restart the Outlook application for changes to take effect.

Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the Web (OWA - Outlook Web App for short) is a fast way to open a shared mailbox temporarily without adding it to your Outlook profile.

  1. Go to https://outlook.office.com and login with your email account
  2. Click on the round icon located at the top right corner of the screen (1 below). Icon could be an image as shown below or just letters inside the icon. Once the menu opens, click on "Open another mailbox" (2 below)
  3. You will be prompted with "Open another mailbox" window as shown below. Type the complete email address you would like to open into the field (1 below) than click "Open" (2 below).
  4. New tab will open with the contents of the mailbox you typed in above. As a bonus tip, you may bookmark this browser tab to quickly access the shared mailbox.

Outlook on Mobile Devices

  1. Open the Outlook app on your mobile device
  2. Tap the round icon or the "Inbox" located at the top left corner of your screen to open the settings panel
  3. Tap the envelope with a plus icon
  4. Tap on "Add Shared Mailbox"
  5. If multiple emails are configured within your Outlook profile, choose your business email on the next window. You will then be prompted with "Add Shared Mailbox" window as shown below. Type the complete email address you would like to open into the field (1 below) than click "Add" (2 below).