How to...
Use Shared Mailboxes
Shared mailboxes are available to staff for services that they provide so that several staff members can access and manage the mailbox securely.
Passwords for mailboxes are not shared, instead each person is added as a delegate to the mailbox.
Shared mailboxes are replacing role-based accounts across Sussex as they're more secure and less likely to be compromised.
How to access a shared mailbox.
You must be a named user who has been granted access to the shared mailbox by the mailbox owner. The shared mailbox will then appear in the left hand pane, listed with other mailboxes. Please note that this can sometimes take an hour to appear.
For information on how to open and use a shared mailbox visit this .
Adding additional functionality (where required)
By default sent items should by copied from the shared mailbox’s sent items folder. However if you are having issues with deleted items, and other functionality then you can re-add the account to your Outlook profile as an additional account following the steps below:
Add the Exchange account for the shared mailbox to your Outlook profile as an additional account:
- Open Outlook, and then select File > Add Account.
- Enter the email address of the mailbox, expand the Advanced options tab and tick the box to 'Let me set up my account manually’ and then select Connect.
- Then select the account type as Outlook.com
- It will take you to an Okta login page. Remove the shared mailbox and sign in with your own account.
- After you successfully authenticate, restart Outlook by selecting File > Exit and reopening Outlook.
A Microsoft guide for further assistance if needed is
How to request a new shared mailbox.
Only staff members can request a mailbox.
The requestor will be considered the 'owner of the mailbox'
- Visit
- Scroll down and click 'Shared Mailbox Request'.
- Complete the online form that appears.
Add new or remove members to a shared mailbox.
Note: Only the shared mailbox owner can request for this change.
Contact the ITS HelpDesk and request for the member of staff to be added to the shared mailbox for delegated access.
Where to manage shared mailbox rules and Out of Office replies.
The best place to manage this rules, Out of Office and autoreplies is via Outlook on the web ( https://outlook.office.com/ )
Changing the owner of a shared mailbox.
A shared mailbox always has an owner (the person responsible for it). If an owner leaves the university, or changes role, it is vital that they arrange with IT Services to have a new owner appointed.
If the owner of a shared mailbox is not known, please contact IT Services to find out.
Locate a shared mailbox in Outlook New (2023)
The shared mailbox folder can be located collapsed within the Shared With Me tab in the left-hand panel.
By default, Outlook allows up to 10 accounts but in reality the more accounts you add the more app issues you will encounter, like crashing or being unresponsive.
How to send an email from a shared mailbox
After composing a new email as normal, click 'Options' and then 'Show From' to select the mailbox you'd like the outgoing email to be sent from by using the small drop-down arrow.
Where to locate deleted items from a shared mailbox.
When an item or email is deleted from a shared mailbox it will appear in the deleted folder of the user who deleted it and not the shared mailbox.
created on 2010-01-01 by Andy Clews
last updated on 2024-09-17 by Michael Taylor