Shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365
How to create and use a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365 — perfect for team inboxes like info@, support@, or hello@yourcompany.com.
A shared mailbox is an email inbox that multiple people can access and send from. It's perfect for addresses like info@yourcompany.com, support@yourcompany.com, or hello@yourcompany.com — where the whole team needs to see and respond to messages.
Quick summary
Shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365 don't need their own license (up to 50 GB). Multiple people can read and reply from the same address. You create them in the admin center, then add the people who should have access. They can access the shared mailbox inside their own Outlook.
How shared mailboxes work
A shared mailbox is like a regular email inbox, but:
- No one logs in directly — team members access it through their own Outlook accounts.
- Multiple people can reply — everyone with access can see and respond to messages.
- Sent messages are visible to all — when one person replies from the shared mailbox, everyone else can see that reply in the Sent Items folder.
- No license needed for mailboxes under 50 GB — this is one of the few free features in Microsoft 365.
Creating a shared mailbox (admin)
Admin access requiredSign in to the admin center at admin.microsoft.com.
Go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes in the left-hand menu.
Click Add a shared mailbox.
Enter a name and email address for the mailbox — for example, name it 'Support" and set the address to support@yourcompany.com.
Click Save changes. The mailbox is created.
Add members. You'll be prompted to add the people who should have access. Add them by searching for their names. Click Save.
Ready to use
The shared mailbox will appear automatically in Outlook for everyone you added — usually within a few minutes. They don't need to do anything.
Accessing the shared mailbox in Outlook
Once you've been added to a shared mailbox, it appears in your Outlook inbox list. In the web version, scroll down in the left panel — shared mailboxes appear below your own folders with the mailbox name as the heading.
Click on it just like you would your own inbox to see its messages.
Sending from the shared mailbox
Click New mail. In the compose window, click the From field (you may need to click the three-dot menu and select Show From if it's not visible). Click From and select the shared mailbox address. Now the email will be sent from support@yourcompany.com (or whatever the address is) rather than your personal address.
Click New Email. If the From field is not visible, click Options → From. Click the From dropdown and select Other email address, then type or select the shared mailbox address. Going forward, you can select it from the dropdown.
Managing the shared mailbox
As an admin, you can:
- Add or remove members — go back to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes and click the mailbox name.
- Set up an auto-reply — useful if the mailbox receives high volumes or needs to confirm receipt of messages.
- Convert a deleted user's mailbox to a shared mailbox — this preserves their email without requiring a paid license. See Removing a user safely.
Shared mailboxes over 50 GB need a license
If a shared mailbox grows beyond 50 GB — which can happen if you store a lot of attachments — it will need a paid license assigned. The admin center will alert you when you approach this limit.
Common questions
Related guides
- Distribution groups & lists
- Outlook basics for business
- Removing a user safely
- The Microsoft 365 admin center, explained
- Shared mailboxes explained
Need a hand?
Learn more
Setting up your Outlook signature
How to create and set up an email signature in Outlook — including your name, title, phone number, and branding — so it appears automatically on every email.
Distribution groups & lists in Microsoft 365
How to create and manage distribution groups in Microsoft 365 — so you can email your whole team or a specific department with a single address.