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Adding member to shared email

Meredith L Trabilsy 0 Reputation points
2026-04-17T17:41:29.1266667+00:00

I am trying to figure out how to add a member profile to an existing shared email address so that they can access and respond to emails

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. Alice-N 10,035 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-18T00:34:55.91+00:00

    Hi Meredith L Trabilsy

    I understand you’re having trouble adding a member to an existing shared email address so they can access and respond to emails. Please kindly note that this depends on the account type, Microsoft “shared mailbox” and related mailbox sharing/delegation features are primarily available for work or school accounts in Microsoft 365/Exchange Online, not personal Outlook.com accounts. See: About shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365 - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 

    Are you trying to do this on: 

    • a work/school Microsoft 365 account (you have access to admin.microsoft.com), or 
    • a personal Outlook.com account?  

    I would love to hear from you. Have a lovely day! 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-17T17:41:41.2466667+00:00

    To let another person access and respond to mail for an existing shared email address, that person must be added as a member of the shared mailbox by a Microsoft 365 admin.

    Steps for an admin to add members to a shared mailbox:

    1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center with an account that has an Exchange admin role.
    2. Go to Teams & Groups > Shared mailboxes.
    3. Select the existing shared mailbox (for example, ******@contoso.com).
    4. Under Members or Next steps, choose Add members to this mailbox.
    5. Select the user(s) who should have access and choose Add, then save/close.

    After being added as a member, the user can open and use the shared mailbox in Outlook on the web or the new Outlook client:

    1. In Outlook, after membership is granted, close and restart Outlook.
    2. The shared mailbox should appear automatically in the folder pane. If it does not, add it manually:
      • In new Outlook: go to Mail, right‑click the account name in the Folder pane, select Add shared folder or mailbox, and type the shared mailbox address (for example, ******@contoso.com).
    3. The user can then read messages in the shared mailbox and send replies from the shared address by choosing the shared mailbox in the From field when composing email.

    Note: A shared mailbox is not meant to be signed into directly; the account itself should remain disabled. Access is always via membership and opening it from the user’s own mailbox profile.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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