How to Add a Shared Mailbox to Outlook Desktop for Australian Small Businesses

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Add a Shared Mailbox to Outlook Desktop for Australian Small Businesses. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Adding a shared mailbox to Microsoft Outlook Desktop allows your team to manage emails sent to a common address, such as [email protected] or [email protected], without needing a separate user licence. This is ideal for small businesses that want multiple staff members to view and respond to customer enquiries from a single mailbox.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Open Microsoft Outlook Desktop.
2. Select the File tab in the top-left corner.
3. Click Account Settings and select Account Settings... from the dropdown menu.
4. In the Email tab, select your primary Exchange account and click Change.
5. Click More Settings, then go to the Advanced tab.
6. Under Mailboxes, click Add.
7. Type the email address of the shared mailbox and click OK.
8. Click Apply, then OK, and finally Next and Finish.
9. Restart Outlook for the shared mailbox to appear in your folder list.

Detailed Instructions

Adding the Shared Mailbox

1. Launch Outlook on your computer.
2. Click the File menu located in the top-left corner of the window.
3. Select Account Settings and click Account Settings... again from the list.
4. Ensure the Email tab is active.
5. Highlight your main Microsoft 365 email account and click the Change button.
6. In the Change Account window, click More Settings in the bottom-right corner.
7. Switch to the Advanced tab.
8. Locate the Mailboxes section and click the Add button.
9. Enter the full email address of the shared mailbox (e.g., [email protected]) and click OK.
10. Click Apply, then click OK to close the Internet Email Settings window.
11. Click Next on the Change Account window, then click Finish.
12. Close and restart Outlook to synchronise the new mailbox.

Sending Email From the Shared Mailbox

By default, emails you send will appear to come from your personal address. To send as the shared mailbox:

1. Click New Email to compose a message.
2. If the From field is not visible, go to the Options tab on the ribbon and click From.
3. Click the From dropdown and select Other Email Address.
4. Enter the shared mailbox address or select it from the address book.
5. Compose and send your email as usual.

Troubleshooting

Shared Mailbox Does Not Appear

• Ensure you have restarted Outlook after completing the setup steps.
• Verify that your administrator has added your user account to the shared mailbox with the correct permissions.
• Check that you are using a Microsoft 365 Exchange account. POP or IMAP accounts do not support shared mailboxes in this manner.

Unable to Send From the Shared Address

• Confirm you have selected the shared mailbox in the From field before sending.
• If you receive a bounce-back message stating you do not have permission to send, your organisation needs to update your mailbox permissions.

Old Emails Are Not Showing

• Shared mailboxes synchronise from the server. It may take some time for historical emails to download, depending on the size of the mailbox.
• Ensure you have a stable internet connection and leave Outlook open to allow the synchronisation to complete.

If you continue to experience issues accessing the shared mailbox, please Open a Ticket with our support team.

Related Articles

• Setting Up an Email Account in Outlook (POP/IMAP/Exchange)
• Managing Email Signatures in Outlook
• Troubleshooting Outlook Send/Receive Errors
• Backing Up and Restoring Outlook Data Files (.pst/.ost)
• Organizing Emails with Rules and Alerts in Outlook
• Using Outlook Calendar and Scheduling Meetings

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