Temporary Access to Other Exchange Mailboxes

There may be situations where an individual needs to be granted temporary access to another individual's Exchange (Outlook) mailbox. 

This is most commonly used in these scenarios:

• A supervisor requires access to a separate employee's mailbox to review incoming email, update the auto-reply (Out-of-Office message) or copy/forward existing mail.
• An OTS support staff member is assisting a client and receives permission to be granted temporary access.
• A supervisor requires access to an employee's or an affiliate NetID's Exchange mailbox for another reason.

Request temporary access to an Exchange mailbox

To request access, contact the OTS Help Center (410-704-5151 or http://techhelp.towson.edu).  You will need to supply:

• the name, NetID or email address of the person whose mailbox you need access to
• how many days you need access (up to 365 days at a time)
• if the person whose mailbox you need access to should receive an automated notification -- the default is to send them an automated email
• the reason for the temporary access

OTS will grant the access, and you will receive an automated email with instructions to review this article.  All access requests are logged.

Access the mailbox via Outlook after access has been granted

After temporary access has been granted, the mailbox will usually appear automatically within an hour near the bottom of the folder listing (on the left) in the requester's Outlook. 

If the mailbox does not appear after an hour, even after closing and reopening Outlook, it may be necessary to use the alternate method described below in the "Alternate Method of Accessing the Mailbox via Outlook:  Add the Mailbox as an Additional Mailbox" section.  Outlook for Mac users may also need to use this alternate method.

Also, you cannot set auto-replies or configure rules with this method -- only the Outlook Web App method below will allow that.

Alternate Method of Accessing the Mailbox via Outlook:  Add the Mailbox as an Additional Mailbox

This method is only to be used when accessing a mailbox which is hidden (not available in Outlook's Global Address List) and the mailbox doesn't automatically appear in Outlook.

For this method, you will need the "legacy Exchange DN" value supplied in the automated email you received when you were granted mailbox access.  If you do not have this information, please contact the OTS Help Center and ask that they re-grant you access to the mailbox.  This will give the Help Center staff member a message which contains the "legacy Exchange DN" which they can send to you via email.

Also, you cannot set auto-replies or configure rules with this method -- only the Outlook Web App method below will allow that.

In Outlook 2010/2013 for Windows:

1. Click on the File tab in the ribbon
2. Click Accounts Settings button, then click Account Settings in the drop-down menu
3. In the Email tab, make sure the default account is highlighted, then click Change (next to Repair)
4. In the Change Account window, click More Settings..
5. Click the Advanced tab
6. Click Add and enter the name of the mailbox as it appears in the Global Address List.  For hidden mailboxes, you must instead use the "legacy Exchange DN" value supplied in the automated email you received when you were granted mailbox access.  It must be copied exactly - use copy-and-paste.
7. Click OK
8. Close the Change Account window
9. Close the Account Settings window
10. The mailbox will now appear in your Outlook folder list

In Outlook 2011/2016 for Mac:

1. Click the Tools menu, and then click Accounts
2. Click to select the default account
3. Click the Advanced button
4. Click the Delegates tab
5. Click the "+" button below the "People I am a delegate for" box
6. Enter the name of the mailbox as it appears in the Global Address List, and click Find.  For hidden mailboxes, you must instead use the "legacy Exchange DN" value supplied in the automated email you received when you were granted mailbox access.  It must be copied exactly - use copy-and-paste.
7. Select the mailbox from the list, then click OK
8. Click OK, then close the Accounts window
9. The mailbox will now appear in your Outlook folder list

Access the Mailbox in Outlook Web App (OWA)

This method is required if you need to set auto-replies or configure rules on the mailbox.

To open the mailbox in Outlook Web App (OWA), see Use Outlook Web Access to Open a Shared Folder or Maildrop.