Can't move emails between accounts

Question

Hi there

Could someone please help regarding moving emails between accounts in new Outlook?

In a particular shared mailbox, we have tested moving emails on Outlook web, and it worked but it did not work with Outlook desktop app

We also tested Outlook desktop app by moving emails to other shared mailboxes and it worked. Therefore, we think the specific shared mailbox is the issue.

We have created a new profile => the issue still persists

repaired, uninstalled, reinstalled the Outlook desktop app => the issue still persists

The issue seems to be only when moving emails to the particular mailbox since it works well with others

Answer 1

Dear @Minh Vu,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand that you’re experiencing issues moving emails between accounts in the new Outlook. As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or delve into the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users.  

Based on your description and my research, this behavior points to a specific configuration or permission setting affecting that shared mailbox, rather than a general application issue. In the new Outlook, moving or copying items between different accounts (including from a primary mailbox to a shared mailbox) is commonly disabled by default in many organizations to prevent unintended data leakage. This behavior is controlled by a Microsoft 365 policy called ItemsToOtherAccountsEnabled.

A Microsoft 365 admin (Global Admin or Exchange Admin) must enable this setting, either tenant-wide or on the applicable OWA mailbox policy. This can be done by running the following command in Exchange Online PowerShell (after connecting with Connect-ExchangeOnline):

Set-OwaMailboxPolicy -Identity OwaMailboxPolicy-Default -ItemsToOtherAccountsEnabled $true

• This usually propagates in minutes to hours (restart Outlook/desktop after ~15–30 min to test).
• If your org uses custom OWA policies, replace "OwaMailboxPolicy-Default" with the actual policy name (check via Get-OwaMailboxPolicy | fl Name).
• After enabling, test drag-and-drop or right-click Move again in new Outlook.

For reference: Set-OwaMailboxPolicy (ExchangePowerShell) | Microsoft Learn

If you’re not an administrator, please forward this information to your IT team so they can review and adjust the policy as needed. If you don't know who your IT administrator is, please refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support 

While waiting for the policy to be reviewed, you can try the following:

• Right‑click the email > Move > manually select the destination folder in the shared mailbox (this can bypass drag‑and‑drop issue).
• Copy the email instead of moving it, then delete the original as a workaround.
• If dragging shows a “no” symbol (circle with a slash), this typically confirms a policy restriction.
• Switch back to classic Outlook using the toggle in the top‑right corner, as classic Outlook usually allows cross‑mailbox moves without this policy restriction.

If the issue persists after the policy is enabled, your IT administrator can open a support ticket with Microsoft. A support engineer can perform a deeper investigation, validate backend configurations, and escalate the issue if required.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments so I can continue to support you. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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