Open a Shared Mailbox or Calendar

This article provides step-by-step instructions for accessing and using shared mailboxes and calendars in Microsoft Outlook—via the web, desktop, and mobile apps. It covers how to manually add shared mailboxes, send emails on behalf of a shared account, and includes important notes about mailbox behavior and permissions. Helpful links to Microsoft support resources are also included.

📥 What Is a Shared Mailbox?

A Shared Mailbox is a mailbox that one or more users can access to read and send email messages on behalf of a supplemental or group account. It also includes a shared calendar, making it easy for teams to coordinate schedules and manage events. S These mailboxes are ideal for departments, student organizations, or project teams.

Key Features:

• Collaborative Email Management: Multiple users can send and receive emails from a shared address (e.g., its@stcloudstate.edu).
• Unified Identity: Replies sent from the shared mailbox appear to come from the shared address, not from individual users.
• Shared Calendar: Teams can use the mailbox’s calendar to schedule and view meetings or events.
• No Direct Login: Shared mailboxes are not designed for direct sign-in. Access is granted through your primary account.

⚠️ Note: Most Shared mailboxes are not designed for direct sign-in. Access is granted through your primary account.

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🔄 Automatic Access

If you've been granted access to a shared mailbox, it should appear automatically in your Outlook folder list within 4–6 hours. If it doesn’t:

• Restart Outlook (desktop app).
• Or follow the steps below to open it manually in Office 365 Webmail.

🗓️ Option 1: Add a Shared Calendar (Outlook for Windows)

• Open Outlook and go to the Calendar view.

• In the upper-right corner, click Add → Open Shared Calendar.

  
• Type the name of the calendar (e.g., SCSU-Academic Calendar) and click OK.
• Type the name of the calendar, then click OK. Example:  SCSU-Academic Calendar
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📬 Option 2: Add a Shared Mailbox (Outlook for Windows)

• Open Outlook.

• Go to the File tab → Account Settings → Account Settings.

• Under the Email tab, select your account and click Change.
• Click More Settings → Advanced → Add.
• Enter the shared mailbox name or email (e.g., SCSU-Academic Calendar).
• Click OK → OK → Next → Finish → Close.

✉️ New Outlook Experience (Windows)

1. Scroll down your folder list.
2. Expand the Shared with me section to view shared mailboxes.
   • OR -
3. Right-click your email address and select Add shared folder or mailbox.
4. Type the name of the mailbox and select it.

• • 
  • The following box will come up, type in the name of the mailbox you have access to

📨 Sending Email from a Shared Mailbox (Outlook for Windows)

• Click New Email.
• Go to the Options tab and click From to display the From field.
• Click From again and select or type the shared mailbox address.
• The next time you send an email, the shared address will appear in the drop-down.
• Click From, then type the name or email address that you want to use to send the email 
• The next time you need to send from that mailbox, select From in a New email and select the appropriate address from the drop-down. 

🍎 Accessing a Shared Mailbox (Outlook for Mac)

• Open Outlook on your Mac.
• Go to Tools → Accounts.
• Select your mail account to open additional options.
• Click Delegates and Sharing.​​​​​​

 

• Go to the Shared with Me tab.
• Click the + (plus) sign to add a new mailbox.
• Search for the mailbox name and click Add.

 

• Done: The shared mailbox will now be added to your Outlook account and visible in the navigation pane on the left. 

 

 

✉️ Sending from a Shared Mailbox (Outlook for Mac)

• In a New Email window, click the From dropdown.
• Select the shared mailbox from the list.

🌐 Accessing a Shared Mailbox via Office 365 Webmail

• Go to Office365.com and sign in:

  • Faculty/Staff/Student Employees: StarID@MinnState.edu

  • Student Club/Organization Members: StarID@go.minnstate.edu
• In the left navigation pane, right-click “Folders” and select Add shared folder.
• In the dialog box, type the email address of the shared mailbox and click Add.

✅ The shared mailbox and its folders will now appear in your folder list each time you open Outlook on the web.

🔗 Microsoft Support: Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook 

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📱 Accessing a Shared Mailbox via Outlook Mobile App

⚠️ Note: Shared mailboxes are not supported in the default iOS Mail app. You must use the Microsoft Outlook app.

Steps:

• Install the Outlook app from the App Store or Google Play.
• Sign in using your StarID@MinnState.edu account.
• Tap the menu icon (three lines or your profile picture).
• Tap Add Account → Add a Shared Mailbox.
• Enter the shared mailbox email address and tap Add Shared Mailbox.
• Tap the Home button to return to your inbox.

✅ The shared mailbox will appear in the left-hand column under your initials. Tap the initials to switch between mailboxes.

🔗 Microsoft Support: Add a shared mailbox to Outlook mobile 

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✉️ Additional Notes

• ⏳ Sync Delay: If the shared mailbox doesn’t appear right away, allow a few hours for it to sync. If it’s still missing the next day, contact HuskyTech for assistance.
• ⚠️ Shared Rules Apply to All Users: Any rule set up in a shared mailbox (e.g., moving emails to a folder or clutter) will apply to everyone with access to that mailbox.

Example: If you create a rule to move emails from SCSU to a specific folder, it will affect all users of the shared mailbox.