Mastering Outlook: How to Delegate Access to Your Inbox Like a Pro
Share your email management without losing control: a step-by-step guide
Have you ever wondered how to manage your inbox more efficiently when you're juggling multiple tasks, or when you need help keeping up with emails? Whether you're a busy professional, managing a team, or just need someone to handle your inbox while you're away, Outlook offers a powerful feature that lets you delegate access to your email account. With the right permissions, someone else can manage your inbox, send emails on your behalf, and keep things organised—all while you maintain control.
Delegating access to your inbox can be extremely beneficial:
Personal Assistants or Administrative Support: Let someone handle scheduling, email responses, and more, while you focus on other tasks.
Team Collaboration: A team member can monitor and respond to emails when you're unavailable, ensuring important messages don’t go unanswered.
Managing Multiple Accounts: You might want an assistant to help manage different email accounts or inboxes for efficiency.
How to Delegate Access to Your Outlook Inbox
Before you start, make sure you're using Outlook for Microsoft 365 or Outlook 2019 (or newer versions) and that you have permission to grant access (for example, you need to be using an exchange-based email account).
Open Outlook and go to the File tab. And click on Account Settings, and then choose Delegate Access from the drop-down menu. In the Delegates tab, click Add. Type the name of the person you want to give access to. They must be a colleague or someone in your organisation with a valid email address within your domain. Select their name and click Add and then Ok.
Set Permissions: After adding your delegate, you’ll need to define what level of access they have. Here are the available options:
Editor (can read, create, and modify items)
Author (can read and create items, but can’t modify)
Reviewer (can only read items)
You’ll most likely want to assign them Editor permissions so they can manage your inbox fully (but without sending emails if you prefer).
For Calendar permissions, you can also choose whether to allow them to edit your calendar and schedule meetings.
Delegate Sends Emails on Your Behalf: If you want the person to send emails on your behalf, check the option to Send on Behalf of you. This means they can send emails that will show your name, but the recipient will know it’s being sent by your delegate. This is great for maintaining transparency. If you don’t want them to have this ability, leave the setting off.
Notify Your Delegate: Once you have set the permissions, you can choose to send an automatic email to notify the delegate about the access you’ve granted them. Simply check the box to send the notification.
Confirm and Close: Click Ok to confirm the settings. Now, your delegate has access to your inbox and can start managing your emails based on the permissions you’ve set.
What Your Delegate Can Do
Once access is granted, your delegate can manage your inbox based on the permissions you've assigned. Some of the common tasks they can help with include:
Reading and Organizing Emails: Sorting your emails into folders, deleting junk mail, and archiving important messages.
Responding to Emails: If given permission, they can reply to or forward emails, draft responses, and flag important messages.
Calendar Management: If granted access to your calendar, they can schedule appointments, meetings, and reminders on your behalf.
Sending Emails: If you've enabled the “Send on Behalf” feature, they can draft and send messages, but the recipient will know that the email was sent by your delegate.
Managing and Revoking Delegate Access
If you ever need to adjust or remove delegate access, simply follow these steps:
Go back to File > Account Settings > Delegate Access.
Select the delegate you wish to modify or remove.
Click Permissions to adjust their access, or select Remove to revoke access entirely.
Confirm your changes by clicking Ok.
Important Considerations
Security: Make sure the person you’re granting access to is trustworthy, as they’ll have the ability to read your emails, respond to messages, and in some cases, send emails on your behalf.
Managing Multiple Delegates: If you have several delegates, it’s crucial to keep track of their permissions to ensure they’re only able to access what’s necessary. Regularly review and update their access as needed.
Limitations: Some features (like shared calendars or inboxes) may not be available depending on your email configuration. Always check with your IT team if you're unsure about which permissions can be granted.
Delegating access to your Outlook inbox can significantly streamline your email management process. Whether you need someone to handle your inbox during a busy period or grant full access for team collaboration, Outlook’s delegation tools give you the control and flexibility you need to manage your communications effectively.
By following these simple steps, you can delegate access with ease, giving you more time to focus on other priorities while ensuring your email stays organised and responsive.