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As an administrator, you might have company requirements to allow some users to have access to another user's mailbox. For example, you might want to enable an assistant to send or read email from their manager's mailbox. Or you might want to give one of your users the ability to send email on behalf of another user. This article describes how to set up mailbox permissions, access another user's mailbox, and send email on behalf of another user.
If you're looking for information about creating and managing shared mailboxes, check out Create a shared mailbox.
And if you're an end user who wants to grant email and calendar access to someone else, see About delegates: Allow someone to manage your mail and calendar in Outlook.
Set up mailbox permissions
The first step to setting up permissions is deciding which actions you want to allow the other user to take in the given mailbox. You can allow a user to read email messages from the mailbox, send email messages on behalf of another user, or send email messages as if they were sent from that mailbox. Permissions can only be set up within the current organization. It's not possible to set up mailbox permissions for users in another organization.
Read the following sections for the task you want to complete:
- Read email from another user's mailbox
- Send email from another user's mailbox
- Send email on behalf of another user
Note
Once permissions are set, it can take up to 60 minutes for the changes to propagate through the system and be in effect.
Access another person's mailbox
After permissions are set and access is granted, users have a few different options to access a mailbox. See Share and access another person's mailbox or folder in Outlook.
Send email from another user's mailbox
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users.
Select the name of the user (from whom you plan to give a sending permission) to open their properties pane.
On the Mail tab, select Send as permissions.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the person who you want this user to be able to send as.
Select Add.
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users.
Select the user you want, expand Mail Settings, and then Select Edit next to Mailbox permissions.
Next to Send as, select Edit.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the person who you want this user to be able to send as.
Select Add.
Read email in another user's mailbox
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users.
Select a user (whose mailbox you want to allow to be read) to open their properties pane.
On the Mail tab, select Read and manage permissions.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the user or users that you want to allow to read email from this mailbox.
Select Add.
Note
Read and Manage permissions are called Full Access permission when granted in the Exchange admin center. This permission allows the assigned user mailbox to read and manage emails in the user mailbox on which the permission is assigned. Full Access permission doesn't grant Send as or Send on behalf permissions.
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go Users > Active users.
Select a user, expand Mail Settings, and then select Edit next to Mailbox permissions.
Next to Read and manage, select Edit.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the user or users that you want to allow to read email from this mailbox.
Select Add.
Send email on behalf of another user
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users.
Select the name of the user (from whom you plan to give a Send on behalf permission) to open their properties pane.
On the Mail tab, select Send on behalf of permissions.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the user or users that you want to allow to send email on behalf of this mailbox.
Select Add.
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users.
Select a user, expand Mail Settings, and then select Edit next to Mailbox permissions.
Next to Send on behalf, select Edit.
Select Add permissions, then choose the name of the user or users that you want to allow to send email on behalf of this mailbox.
Select Add.
Note
The Send As and Send on Behalf permissions don't work in Outlook Desktop client with the HiddenFromAddressListsEnabled parameter on the mailbox set to True, because those permissions require the mailbox to be visible in Outlook via the Global Address List.
Related content
Manage another person's mail and calendar items
Send email from another person or group
Change a user name and email address