How to Review Quarantine for a Mail-Enabled Public Folder
Question details
Administrators need a way for delegated users to review quarantined emails sent to a mail-enabled public folder without migrating to a shared mailbox.
- Product
- Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Defender
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing email filtering and reviewing blocked or quarantined emails directed at an organizational public folder.
- Observed behavior
- Delegated users cannot natively access the quarantine portal for public folders, requiring administrative intervention or advanced policy configuration.
Ensure you have the necessary Exchange Administrator or Security Administrator permissions in your Microsoft 365 tenant to access and manage organization-wide threat policies.
Review Quarantined Messages via Microsoft 365 Defender Portal
Use the centralized Defender portal as an administrator to manually locate, review, and release emails sent to the public folder.
Because public folders do not function like standard user mailboxes, they cannot log into the Microsoft 365 quarantine portal directly. Therefore, administrators must typically review these blocked messages centrally.
Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal (security.microsoft.com) and sign in using an account with Security Administrator or Global Administrator credentials.
In the left-hand navigation menu, scroll down to 'Email & collaboration', click on 'Review', and then select 'Quarantine'.
Click the 'Filter' button at the top of the Quarantine list. Enter the exact email address of your mail-enabled public folder into the 'Recipient address' field and click 'Apply'.
Select the quarantined message you want to review. From the details flyout pane, choose to either 'Release email' to deliver it to the public folder or block the sender based on your security policies.
Escalate Configuration Queries to Microsoft Q&A
Because native delegation for public folder quarantine is highly limited, escalating the issue to Microsoft Engineers is recommended for complex enterprise environments.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can end-users manage quarantine for public folders directly?
End-users typically cannot log into the Microsoft 365 quarantine portal on behalf of a public folder. Unlike a personal or shared mailbox, a public folder lacks standard credential structures, meaning administrators must usually handle the release of quarantined items.
Why do Microsoft experts recommend shared mailboxes over public folders for quarantine management?
Shared mailboxes seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Defender's delegated access and quarantine notification features. This allows assigned users to review and release their own quarantined messages via portal access or digest emails without requiring global admin rights.
Will quarantine digest emails be sent to the public folder?
No, public folders do not reliably process automated quarantine notification digests. Moving to a shared mailbox or Microsoft 365 Group is often required to enable functional, automated quarantine alerts for delegated users.
