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This article will show you how to share folders between users of a Hosted Exchange mailbox.

To allow another Exchange user in your domain to be able to access one of your folders, you need to grant them the appropriate permissions. Permissions can be set by an end user or by an administrator.

Select one of the links below to jump to a query:

• Setting Folder Permissions in Outlook
• Opening a Shared Folder in Outlook
• Setting Sharing Permissions for OWA Users
• Outlook Folder Permissions

Setting Folder Permissions in Outlook

To enable another Exchange user to have access to a folder under your mailbox, you need to grant permissions to your mailbox and then to the folder you want to share. Follow the steps listed below to setup folder sharing with another user on your domain.

Screenshots have been taken using Outlook 2010.

1. Open Outlook to connect to your Exchange mailbox.
    
2. The next step is to allow users to have access to your mailbox. Without this level of permissions folders beneath the root folder won’t be accessible. When Outlook loads right-click on your email address at the top of the folder list. Then click on the Folder Permissions option.

   
    

3. Then press the Add… button.

   
    

4. Start typing in the name of the person you want to enable the permissions for. When the user is shown in the pane below select them and press the Add button. Repeat this process for all users that need the permissions to be set. When you’re done selecting users press the OK button to continue.

   
    

5. Select the permissions level that you want to give the user. In the example below, we are setting John Citizen to have the Reviewer permission. Once the permissions are set press the Apply button and then the OK button to complete the process.

   
    

6. After the mailbox level permissions are set, right-click the folder you want to share and and then click Properties.

   
    

7. Click the Permissions tab and then click Add.

   
    

8. Start typing in the name of the person you want to enable the permissions for. When the user is shown in the pane below select them and press the Add button. Repeat this process for all users that need the permissions to be set.
    
9. When you’re done selecting users, click OK to continue.

   
    

10. Select the user that you just added (e.g. John Citizen) and then select the desired Permissions Level from the drop-down menu.

    In the example below, the “Reviewer” permission has been selected. This will give the user the ability to see the “Shared Folder” folder and its contents but not be able to edit or delete them.

    
     

11. Click Apply and OK.

Opening a Shared Folder in Outlook

In the example above we granted permissions to the “Shared Folder” folder for John Citizen. The following steps will show how John Citizen can now access this folder.

Screenshots have been taken using Outlook 2010.

1. Open Outlook to connect to your mailbox.
    
2. Click on the File tab. Then Account Settings > Account Settings.

   
    

3. Select your email account and then click the Change button.

   
    

4. Then click on More Settings.

   
    

5. A new window will pop up. Switch to the Advanced tab and then press the Add… button under the Mailboxes section. Type in the full name of the person's Mailbox you want to open and then press the OK button.

   The folder will now appear in the list of mailboxes. Click Apply and OK.

   
    

6. In the Change Account wizard click on Next, Finish and then Close

Setting Sharing Permissions for OWA Users

An Exchange user that only has Outlook Web Access (OWA) to their mailbox can only grant "Full" access rights for their mailbox to another user. These permissions are managed through the control panel. The “Full” access permission is needed for enabling sharing for users that only use the OWA to access their mailbox. To enable the permissions necessary for sharing, follow the steps listed below.

1. Log in to the Hosting Control Panel and select your Hosted Exchange subscription from the drop-down menu at the top right.
    
2. Click on Exchange | Mailboxes and then the Display name of the mailbox you wish to modify.

   
    

3. Click the Permissions tab and then Grant Permissions.

   
    

4. Tick the box beside the user(s) you want to enable permissions for and then click Submit.

   

Outlook Folder Permissions

When setting permissions on folders in Outlook you have the following permissions to choose from: