Office365 Shared Mailboxes


Shared mailboxes are used when multiple people need access to the same mailbox, like a help desk, reception desk, or any other function that might be shared by multiple people. 


Users with permissions to the shared mailbox can send as or send on behalf of the mailbox email address if given the user permissions to do that. This is particularly useful for support mailboxes because users can send emails from "College House Support" or "Residential Information Desk". 


Here are the ways that you can access your shared mailbox.


Windows Outlook Client


Shared mailboxes will automatically appear in your Outlook client as displayed below.




Usually, it takes about 15-20 minutes for user rights and permissions to propagate in our Office365 instance before the mailboxes appear in the navigation pane of your Outlook client. Sometimes you may have to restart the client for the shared mailboxes to show. If they do not appear please submit a ticket for further technical support.


Outlook Web Access (OWA)


If you are retrieving your email through a web browser, follow these instructions to access your shared mailbox. In the upper right hand corner, click on your profile. Then select open another mailbox.




A box marked open another mailbox will popup with a text field in it. Type in the shared mailbox you are trying to access.




The text field will prepopulate other mailboxes as you type in an effort to help you. When you do find the mailbox you want, select it and click open. The shared mailbox will open in a new tab in your web browser.


MacOS Outlook Client


To access your shared mailbox, go to the top menu bar and select File > Open > Shared Mailbox





Type in the name of the shared mailbox you are trying to access. The text field will prepopulate other mailboxes as you type in an effort to help you. When you do find the mailbox that you want, select it and click Add.




The shared mailbox will appear in the navigation pane located on the left side of your Outlook client. If they do not appear please submit a ticket for further technical support.


If you require further assistance after going through this knowledge article, please submit a ticket at support.collegehouses.upenn.edu.