Can 2 users share the in-place Archive folder

Question

Hello
Can 2 users share the In Place Archive folder for archive across an organization.

if yes,

how can the 2nd user who is not the original license owner of the in-place archive save folders here.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi SD@haaz,

Welcome to our forum!

 

In Exchange Online (part of Microsoft 365), the In-Place Archive (now commonly referred to as Online Archive) is tied to a specific user's mailbox and cannot be directly shared between multiple users in the same way as a shared mailbox. However, there are workarounds to allow a second user to access and save items to another user's archive.

 

If you want a second user to access and save items to another user's In-Place Archive, you can grant them Full Access permissions. Steps:

1. Assign Permissions via Exchange Admin Center (EAC):
   • Go to Exchange Admin Center > Recipients > Mailboxes.
     • Select the primary user's mailbox (the one with the archive).
       • Click Manage mailbox delegation > Under Full Access, add the second user.
2. Access the Archive in Outlook:

• The second user must restart Outlook (or add the primary mailbox manually).
  • Go to File → Account Settings > Account Settings → Select their own mailbox > Change > More Settings > Advanced > Add the primary mailbox.
  • The archive will appear in Outlook under the primary mailbox.

1. Saving Items to the Archive:
   • The second user can drag-and-drop emails or manually move items into the archive folder.

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Answer 2

"Sharing" an Online archive across multiple users goes against the likening terms, as stated for example here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/exchange-online-service-description/exchange-online-limits#mailbox-storage-limits

A user's archive mailbox is intended for just that user. Microsoft reserves the right to deny additional archive storage space in instances where a user's archive mailbox is used to store archive data for other users or in other cases of inappropriate use.

While you can delegate access to the Online archive, any use should respect the above.