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How to Give External Users Access to an Exchange Online Shared Mailbox
Question details
The user needs to grant access to an Exchange Online shared mailbox for external users who do not currently have accounts within the organization.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Collaborating with external partners or marketing users who need to view or reply to emails in a shared corporate mailbox.
- Observed behavior
- External users cannot be granted direct access or permissions to the shared mailbox without an appropriate internal organizational account.
Verify that your organization's security and compliance policies allow external collaboration and email forwarding before modifying Exchange Online admin settings.
Create Dedicated Internal Accounts for External Users
The most secure and standard way to grant full access to a shared mailbox is by creating internal organizational accounts for the external users.
Microsoft 365 requires users to have an internal account within the organization's tenant to directly access a shared mailbox. Guest accounts do not support this feature.
Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and log in with your global administrator credentials.
Navigate to 'Users' > 'Active users' and click 'Add a user'. Create a new account for the external user and assign them an Exchange Online license.
Go to 'Teams & groups' > 'Shared mailboxes' and select the shared mailbox you want the external user to access.
Click 'Edit' under the 'Members' section. Click 'Add members', search for the newly created user account, select it, and save the changes.
Set Up Email Forwarding to External Addresses
If you cannot create internal accounts for external users, you can configure the shared mailbox to forward incoming emails to their external email addresses.
Collaborate Using Teams Shared Channels
Instead of using a traditional shared mailbox, you can use Microsoft Teams shared channels to collaborate on messages and files with external users.
Boost Your Team's Productivity with WPS Office
Since Exchange Online limits direct shared mailbox access for external users, you might be looking for simpler ways to collaborate on projects and documents. WPS Office is a free, lightweight, and highly compatible Office alternative that makes creating, editing, and sharing documents seamless across internal and external teams.
- 1. Download the software: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the Free Download button.
- 2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded installation file and follow the on-screen prompts to set up the software.
- 3. Start collaborating: Open WPS Office to instantly create, edit, and easily share your documents with external partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Azure AD guest users access an Exchange Online shared mailbox?
No, Azure AD guest accounts cannot be granted direct permission to access or open an Exchange Online shared mailbox. They must be provisioned as standard internal users with appropriate Exchange Online licenses.
Do I need to buy a license to give an external user access to a shared mailbox?
Yes. If you create an internal account for an external user so they can access the shared mailbox, that specific user account must be assigned an Exchange Online license. The shared mailbox itself remains free.
How can external users reply as the shared mailbox?
To reply as the shared mailbox, the user must have an internal licensed account with 'Send As' or 'Send on Behalf' permissions assigned in the Exchange Admin Center. Email forwarding does not allow this functionality.
Is it possible to share specific email folders directly with external users?
No, Exchange Online does not support sharing specific email folders directly with external users outside your organization's tenant. You must use alternative collaboration tools like SharePoint or Teams for external sharing.
