Microsoft 365 (Outlook) - Sharing Email Folders
Follow these steps to set your default sharing permissions, share an email folder with other UWM students, faculty, or staff, and add a folder that has been shared with you using Outlook 2016.
If you would like to give a person permission to access a folder in your Microsoft 365 account it involves giving permission in two places. First, you need to give the person permission to access your Microsoft 365 e-mail account Mailbox (e.g., Mailbox - Doe, Jane) then you need to give the person permission to access each Folder/Subfolder you want to share. The process for sharing your Mailbox and your Individual folders is the same.
Sharing your folders using Outlook
- Right-click on your Mailbox name (e.g., Mailbox-Doe, Jane) and select Folder Permissions.
- Select the Add button.
- Select the person you wish to give permission to from the address list and press the Add button.
- Press the OK button.
- Click on the person's name and select the appropriate permissions from 'Permission Level:' drop down list (e.g., Owner, Contributor...). Reviewer rights are recommended at the Mailbox level. The option "Folder Visible" must be selected.
- Click the OK button.
Now you will need to give permissions to the actual mail folder, subcalendar or contacts.
- Right click on the folder you wish to share (if wanting to share a subcalendar or contacts, you will need to click the ... icon and choose Folders icon to view all folders)
- Select Properties or Sharing Permissions (depending on your Outlook version) and click Permissions tab.
- Click the Add button.
- Select the person you wish to give permission to from the address list and press the Add button.
- Press the OK button.
- Click on the person's name and select the appropriate permissions from 'Permission Level:' drop down list (e.g., Owner, Contributor...).
- Click the OK button.
- To share additional folders/subfolders, right-click on the folder or subfolder you wish to share and follow steps 2-7 above.
Accessing another person's folder(s) using Outlook
To open another persons folder(s), you need to make sure that you have been given permission to their Mailbox account and the Folders/Subfolders in that Mailbox account that you wish to access (e.g., See steps 1-7 above). Then proceed with Step 1 below.
- Choose File | Account Settings.
- Select your Microsoft 365 account and click the Change button.
- Click the More Settings button.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Under Mailboxes, 'Open these additional mailboxes:' click on the Add button and type the person's name in the window (e.g., Jane Doe), and click the OK button.
- Click the OK button.
- Ciick the Next buton.
- Click the Finish button.
- Restart Outlook.
The folder will appear at the bottom of your folder list.
Sharing your folders using Outlook Web App
- Login to OWA.
- Choose Mail to open your Mail folders.
- Right click on your name in the Mailbox list.
- Select Permissions.
- Click the + button to add a new person.
- Type the name of the person you are sharing the folder with and click Add.
- Select the desired permission level (Reviewer is recommended) - Folder visible must be a selected option.
- Click OK.
Now you will need to give permissions to the actual mail folder, subcalendar or contacts.
- Right click the folder you wish to share and select Permissions.
- Click the + icon and type the name of the person you are sharing the folder with and click Add.
- Select the desired permission level .
- Click OK.
- Repeat steps 2-7 for the folder(s) you wish to share.
Accessing another person's folder(s) using Outlook Web App
- Login to OWA.
- Click Mail to open your mail folders.
- Right click on your name in the folder list.
- Choose Add Shared Folder.
- Type the name of the person whose folder you wish to open and click Add
- The folder will appear at the bottom of your folder list.