How to View a Shared Mailbox in Outlook (Delegate Access)

If a colleague or your IT department has given you access to another Microsoft 365 mailbox (like a manager's inbox or a team email), follow these steps to make it show up in your Outlook app.

1. Check for "Auto-Mapping"

In many cases, Microsoft 365 will automatically add the shared mailbox to your Outlook within 60 minutes of you being granted access.

• Check your sidebar: Scroll to the bottom of your folder list on the left.

• Restart Outlook: If it doesn't appear after an hour, close Outlook completely and reopen it.

2. Manually Adding the Mailbox

If the mailbox doesn't appear automatically, you can add it manually by following these steps:

1. Open Account Settings: Click File in the top-left corner, click the Account Settings button, and select Account Settings again.

2. Change Your Account: Select your own email address from the list and click the Change button.

3. Find Advanced Settings: Click More Settings (usually in the bottom right of the pop-up).

4. Add the Mailbox: * Click the Advanced tab.

   • Click the Add... button.

   • Type the email address of the person or group you are a delegate for.

5. Finish Up: Click OK, then Next, then Finish.

Note: You might need to restart Outlook one last time for the folders to sync and display your colleague's emails.

Common Questions

• Why can't I open the folders? Even if you've added the mailbox, you might see an error if your permissions haven't "synced" yet. It can sometimes take up to 24 hours for Microsoft’s system to fully recognize you as a delegate.

• Where do my sent emails go? By default, when you reply to an email from a shared mailbox, the "Sent" message stays in your personal Sent Items folder, not the shared one.

• Can I see their Calendar too? Yes! Once you have delegate access, the mailbox owner's calendar should appear in your Calendar view under "Shared Calendars."