How to Share Outlook Email Access Without Sharing Passwords

Sooner or later, most businesses run into the same question.

Someone is going on vacation. An executive needs help managing their calendar. Or several employees need access to a shared inbox.

Too often, the solution is to share a username and password.

While that might seem like the quickest option, it’s also the least secure. Sharing passwords makes it difficult to see who performed an action, can interfere with security features like multifactor authentication and often violates company security policies.

Fortunately, Microsoft 365 provides better options. The key is choosing the one that fits your situation.

This article covers three scenarios:

1. My assistant helps manage my work (Delegate Access)
2. Someone covers me while I’m away (Temporary Delegate Access)
3. The mailbox belongs to the team (Shared Mailbox)

Option 1: Someone Is Covering Your Inbox While You’re Away

If you’re taking a vacation or will be out of the office for an extended period, you may want a co-worker to monitor your inbox for important messages.

This is a temporary arrangement. They don’t need permanent access to your email, just enough to keep work moving while you’re away.

Rather than sharing your password, you can grant them access to your mailbox. Depending on the permissions you assign, they can read messages, organize your inbox and respond to emails while you retain control of your account.

When you return, simply remove their access.

This approach keeps your password private while giving your team the access they need while you’re away.

Good fit for:

• Vacation coverage
• Medical leave
• Business travel
• Temporary project coverage

Option 2: An Assistant Helps Manage Your Email and Calendar

Some roles require ongoing access rather than temporary coverage.

Executive assistants, office managers and administrative staff often help manage another person’s calendar, schedule meetings and respond to email.

This is exactly what Outlook’s Delegate Access feature was designed for.

Delegate Access allows you to decide what another person can manage on your behalf. For example, you can allow someone to:

• Read your email
• Manage your calendar
• Schedule meetings
• Respond to meeting invitations
• Perform other tasks based on the permissions you grant

Unlike sharing a password, you remain in control. Permissions can be adjusted or removed at any time without changing your account credentials.

Good fit for:

• Executive assistants
• Administrative assistants
• Office managers
• Long-term support relationships

Option 3: Multiple People Need the Same Inbox

Sometimes the mailbox doesn’t belong to one person at all.

Addresses like sales@, support@, info@ and accounting@ are often managed by multiple employees.

In this situation, giving everyone access to one employee’s mailbox creates unnecessary confusion.

Instead, Microsoft 365 includes Shared Mailboxes, which are designed specifically for team-managed email addresses.

A Shared Mailbox belongs to the organization rather than an individual. Everyone with permission can access the mailbox without sharing passwords, making it easier to collaborate and ensuring the mailbox continues to function even if employees join or leave the company.

Good fit for:

• sales@
• support@
• hr@
• accounting@
• info@

How to Set It Up

Microsoft’s How-To’s:

• Delegate Access
• Shared Inbox

The exact steps depend on whether you’re using classic Outlook, new Outlook or Outlook on the web. Some organizations allow employees to grant mailbox permissions themselves, while others require an IT administrator to assign or approve certain permissions.

If you’re using classic Outlook, you can configure Delegate Access from File > Account Settings > Delegate Access.

In new Outlook, mailbox sharing and permissions are managed through the mailbox or folder sharing options.

If your organization restricts these settings or you don’t see the options described above, your IT administrator may need to configure the permissions for you.

Need Help Setting It Up?

Depending on how your Microsoft 365 environment is configured, you may be able to make these changes yourself or your IT administrator may need to grant additional permissions.

If you’re not sure which option is right for your situation or you’d like help configuring it, reach out to our team. We’ll help you choose the right approach and get everything set up correctly.

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