How to Manage Another Exchange Online Mailbox Without the Other Mailbox Tool
Question details
Users need a way to manage settings like forwarding, rules, and automatic replies for another Exchange Online mailbox after the removal of the dedicated Other Mailbox feature.
- Product
- Microsoft Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator or authorized user needs to adjust mailbox settings for a different account.
- Observed behavior
- The former Exchange admin center Other Mailbox tool is no longer available, preventing quick access to another mailbox's settings.
Ensure you have Exchange Administrator privileges to assign mailbox permissions. Changes to access permissions may take up to a few hours to fully propagate across Microsoft 365 services.
Assign Full Access Permission and Use Outlook on the Web
The standard workaround is granting yourself full access to the target mailbox and managing its settings directly through Outlook on the web (OWA).
Since the classic administration tool is retired, you must now authenticate into the target mailbox as a delegate. This method allows you to configure forwarding, inbox rules, and out-of-office replies exactly as the mailbox owner would.
Log in to the new Exchange admin center. Navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes, select the target mailbox you want to manage, and click on 'Mailbox delegation'. Assign 'Full Access' permissions to your own admin or user account.
Open your web browser and sign in to Outlook on the web (OWA) using your own credentials.
Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the interface and select 'Open another mailbox' from the dropdown menu.
Enter the email address of the target mailbox and click 'Open'. Once it loads in a new browser tab, click the Settings (gear) icon to manage forwarding, rules, and automatic replies for that specific account.
Submit Feedback for Feature Restoration
If opening individual mailboxes via OWA is too slow for your administrative workflow, you can request Microsoft to restore or replace the feature.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for Full Access permissions to apply in Exchange Online?
It typically takes anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours for mailbox permissions to sync and propagate completely throughout the Exchange Online environment.
Can I manage another mailbox from the Outlook desktop app?
Yes, once you have Full Access permissions, the mailbox should automatically map and appear in your Outlook desktop client after a restart. From there, you can manage rules by navigating to File > Manage Rules & Alerts and selecting the target mailbox.
Do I need an active license to assign Full Access to a shared mailbox?
Shared mailboxes under 50GB do not require a separate license, but the admin or user account attempting to open and manage it via Outlook on the web must have a valid Microsoft 365 license.
Why was the 'Other Mailbox' tool removed from the Exchange admin center?
Microsoft deprecated the classic Exchange admin center and transitioned to a modernized portal. During this transition, some legacy tools were retired in favor of delegating access or managing settings through alternative interfaces like Outlook on the web or PowerShell.
