📎 This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓
In this article
A team address like accounts@ or support@ shouldn’t depend on one person’s password. Shared mailboxes and delegation let several people work from the same inbox and calendar properly.
Shared mailboxes
IT creates a shared mailbox and gives you access. It usually appears automatically under your own mailbox in the folder pane after a restart. If not: classic Outlook File › Account Settings › Change › More Settings › Advanced › Add; new Outlook / web: right-click Folders › Add shared folder or mailbox.
Send from the shared address
In a new email, click From (show it via Options › From if hidden) and choose the shared address. Two permission types:
- Send As: the email looks like it came from accounts@ only.
- Send on Behalf: shows “Ravi on behalf of Accounts”.
Splitting the work
Agree a simple system: assign a category per person (“Ravi”, “Anita”) when someone picks up an email, and move done items to a Done folder. Everyone sees what’s taken. For high volumes, a ticketing tool works better than a shared inbox.
Share your calendar
Right-click your calendar › Sharing Permissions (or Share › Calendar). Levels: Can view when I’m busy, Can view titles and locations, Can view all details, Can edit, Delegate. To open a colleague’s: Add Calendar › From Address Book.
Delegates
A delegate (like an assistant) can accept meetings and send on your behalf. Classic Outlook: File › Account Settings › Delegate Access; new Outlook: calendar sharing with the Delegate level. Decide whether meeting requests go to the delegate only or to both.
Automatic replies (Out of Office)
File › Automatic Replies (classic) or Settings › Accounts › Automatic replies. Set the date range so it turns off by itself, write separate messages for inside and outside your organisation, and name a backup contact.
Where beginners go wrong
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Sharing one password for accounts@ | Shared mailbox with individual access |
| Two people reply to the same customer | Category on pick-up |
| Out of office left on for weeks | Always set an end date |
That’s the Outlook course. More automation: save email attachments automatically with Power Automate.
Menus differ slightly between classic Outlook for Windows, the new Outlook and Outlook on the web; where they differ, both are given.
Practice
Download the hands-on checklist below and do the Lesson 8 section in your own Outlook. Nothing in it sends mail to anyone else.
📎 Practice files for this article
- 📘Outlook hands-on checklistStep-by-step tasks for all 8 lessons to do in your own Outlook.⬇ DOCX · 37 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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