Office 365, Outlook (New) for Windows, Add shared mailbox

Shared mailboxes are commonly used for voicemail, shared inquiries, and team communication. This article provides steps to add a shared mailbox in New Outlook for Windows once access has been granted by IT or the Help Desk.

NOTE: The Help Desk must grant access to the mailbox before these instructions will work. These instructions only apply to "New" Outlook for Windows, not "Classic" Outlook.

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Select the Search bar on your Windows taskbar, type Outlook, and select Outlook (New) from the search results. Do not select Outlook (Classic).

Open New Outlook, then select the Settings (⚙️ gear icon) located in the top-right corner of the window.

In the Settings panel, select "Accounts," then select "Shared with me."

Select "+Add," enter the full email address of the shared mailbox (for example, helpdesk@business.illinois.edu), and then select "Continue."

Select "Restart Outlook"


Once the mailbox is added, it will be available at the bottom of the left-hand column of folders in Outlook. Scroll to find it.

Select the triangle next to the mailbox name to expand the folders.

Troubleshooting

If the shared mailbox does not appear:

  • Confirm access has been granted by IT.

  • Restart Outlook again.

  • Allow up to 30 minutes for permission changes to sync.

  • Ensure you are using New Outlook, not Classic Outlook.

If the issue persists, contact the Help Desk at 217-244-0812  or helpdesk@business.illinois.edu. 


Keywords:
"Outlook New", Outlook, Office 365, Microsoft 365, "shared mailbox", "add shared mailbox", mailbox, shared, "shared email", "shared account", "secondary account", voicemail, "voice mail" 
Doc ID:
159449
Owned by:
Lokesh P. in UI Gies College of Business
Created:
2026-03-03
Updated:
2026-06-03
Sites:
UI Gies College of Business