A shared or departmental mailbox is an email account that multiple approved users can access to read, send, and manage messages for a department, office, service, or shared business function.
Before you begin: Access to a shared or departmental mailbox must be approved. If you need access to an existing mailbox, your supervisor must submit the request.
Common examples: Shared mailboxes are often used for department addresses, service accounts, front desk email, support queues, advising inboxes, or other role-based email addresses.
What Is a Shared Mailbox? ▾
A shared mailbox allows multiple users to access the same mailbox without sharing a password. Users sign in with their own FAU account, then access the shared mailbox based on permissions granted to them.
- Multiple approved users can read and manage messages in the mailbox.
- Approved users may be able to send email from the shared mailbox address.
- The mailbox can be used as a common contact address for a department, office, or service.
- Access is permission-based and managed by IT.
When Should a Shared Mailbox Be Used? ▾
A shared mailbox should be used when more than one person needs to monitor or respond from a common email address.
Good uses for a shared mailbox
- A department email address used by multiple staff members.
- A service or support inbox monitored by a team.
- A front desk or office mailbox that multiple employees need to access.
- A role-based address that should not belong to one individual employee.
Examples
department@fau.eduoffice-name@fau.edusupport-area@fau.eduprogram-name@fau.edu
Request a New Shared or Departmental Mailbox ▾
Use this request when a department, office, program, or service area needs a new shared or departmental mailbox created.
Request a New Departmental Account
Use this request for: Creating a new shared mailbox, departmental account, or role-based email address that does not already exist.
Request Access to an Existing Shared Mailbox ▾
If you need access to an existing shared or departmental mailbox, your supervisor must submit a request to add you to the mailbox.
Add or Remove Users from a Departmental Account
Use this request for: Adding users, removing users, or updating access for an existing shared or departmental mailbox.
How Users Access a Shared Mailbox ▾
After access is approved and granted, the shared mailbox may appear automatically in Outlook. If it does not appear automatically, it may need to be added manually.
- Users sign in with their own FAU email address and password.
- The shared mailbox appears in Outlook based on the permissions granted.
- Users should not sign in using a shared password unless specifically instructed by IT.
- Some Outlook versions may require the mailbox to be added manually.
Related article: For setup steps, refer to the article for accessing shared or departmental mailboxes in Outlook
here.
Troubleshooting ▾
- If you do not have access to a shared mailbox, your supervisor must submit a request to add you.
- If a new shared mailbox is needed, submit a request for a new departmental account.
- If the mailbox does not appear in Outlook after access is granted, close and reopen Outlook.
- If access was recently granted, wait a short period of time and try again.
Still Need Help?
If you need help requesting, accessing, or managing a shared or departmental mailbox, please contact the Help Desk at 561-297-3999 for assistance.