Sharing and Opening Shared Mailbox Folders - Outlook on the Web

Overview

This article explains how to share, open, and remove shared folders from the web version of Outlook. It is intended for individuals who are using the new SFU Mail with Exchange Online experience. If you're using the previous version of SFU Mail, please see Sharing Mail Folders: Outlook on the Web.

Details

Sharing a folder in Outlook as the owner

To share a mailbox folder, you'll need to do the following in sequence:

  1. Grant sharing permissions for your top-level mailbox
  2. Grant sharing permissions to your mailbox folder(s)

 

Granting sharing permissions for your top-level mailbox

  1. In the Home view of your mailbox, right click Folders and select Sharing and permissions.


     
  2. Select + to grant a new individual access.


     
  3. Enter the name or email address of the individual you'd like to grant access to. Then click Add.


     
  4. Grant them Reviewer permissions to give them read-only permissions.

 

Granting sharing permissions for your mailbox folder(s)

The process to grant sharing permissions for your mailbox folders is the same as your mailbox:

  1. Right click the folder you want to share and select Sharing and permissions.

     
  2. Select + to grant a new individual access
     
  3. Enter the name or email address of the individual you'd like to grant access to. Then click Add.
     
  4. When granting permissions to this folder, you may want to give them the following permissions or higher:
  • Reviewer: reviewers can read your messages
  • Nonediting Author: nonediting authors can read your messages and drop messages into a folder
     
  1. If the folder is a subfolder, repeat steps 1-4 for each folder the subfolder is nested in.

For a list of permissions levels and the corresponding actions a shared user can take, see Microsoft's article Options for sharing and delegating which is applicable to web and Outlook for Windows and Mac.

 

Opening a mailbox folder that's been shared with you

  1. Right-click Folders and select Add shared folder or mailbox.

     
  2. Search for and select the user who has shared folders with you, then click Add.


     
  3. Their mailbox and shared folder will appear under your Folders list.

 

Removing a shared mailbox folder

To remove a shared mailbox folder, right-click the user who shared their folder with you and select Removed shared folder.

 

Troubleshooting

Error message Cause Try the following
Can't complete your request: You might not have permission to perform this action.
  1. Recipient has not been granted the appropriate permissions at the folder or mailbox level to access the folder
  2. Permissions have not yet had a chance to synchronize to the client
  1. Have the owner double check their mailbox and shared folder permissions
  2. Refresh your browser or sync your mail (View > Sync)