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Read MoreSetting Up Email in Microsoft Outlook
Contents
Introduction
- New Outlook (Windows)
1.1 Adding Your Email Account
1.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Auto-Mapping (Recommended)
1.3 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Manually (If Not Auto-Mapped)
- Classic Outlook (2016 / 2019 / 2021, Windows)
2.1 Adding Your Email Account
2.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Auto-Mapping (Recommended)
2.3 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Manually (If Not Auto-Mapped)
- Microsoft 365 Outlook (Subscription, Windows)
- Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365)
4.1 Adding Your Email Account
4.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox on Mac (Manual – Required)
Introduction
This guide walks you through setting up your Microsoft 365 email account in Outlook, and adding any shared mailboxes you have access to. Follow the section that matches your device and version of Outlook.
If you are unsure which version of Outlook you have, look at the title bar at the top of the Outlook window:
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What you see |
Your Outlook version |
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A toggle labelled “New Outlook” in the top-right |
New Outlook (Windows) |
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Classic ribbon with File menu, no toggle |
Classic Outlook 2016/2019/2021 |
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Microsoft 365 subscription, ribbon-style with modern icons |
Microsoft 365 Outlook (Windows) |
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Outlook on an Apple Mac computer |
Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365) |
1. New Outlook (Windows)
1.1 Adding Your Email Account
New Outlook often sets up your Microsoft 365 account automatically when you first open it. If it has not, follow these steps:
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1 |
Open Outlook. If you see a welcome screen asking for your email address, type it in and click Continue. |
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2 |
Enter your Microsoft 365 email address (e.g. [email protected]) and click Continue. |
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3 |
A sign-in window will appear. Enter your password and click Sign in. |
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4 |
If your organisation uses multi-factor authentication (MFA), you may be asked to approve a notification on your phone or enter a code. Follow the on-screen prompt. |
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5 |
Once signed in, Outlook will begin downloading your emails. This may take a few minutes depending on how many emails you have. |
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💡 Tip: If Outlook opens directly to your inbox without asking for sign-in, your account may already be set up — check that your name and email appear correctly in the top-right corner of the screen. |
1.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Auto-Mapping (Recommended)
If your IT administrator has granted you access to a shared mailbox with auto-mapping enabled, it will appear in your folder list on the left automatically — no action is needed on your part.
ℹ If the shared mailbox does not appear after a few minutes, try closing and reopening Outlook.
1.3 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Manually (If Not Auto-Mapped)
If the shared mailbox has not appeared automatically, you can add it manually:
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1 |
Click the Settings cog icon in the top-right corner of Outlook. |
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2 |
Select Accounts from the left-hand menu, then choose Email accounts. |
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3 |
Click Add account. |
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4 |
Enter the full email address of the shared mailbox (e.g. [email protected]) and click Continue. |
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5 |
Outlook will verify access. If you have been granted permission by your IT administrator, the mailbox will be added and will appear in your left-hand folder list. |
2. Classic Outlook (2016 / 2019 / 2021, Windows)
2.1 Adding Your Email Account
When you open Classic Outlook for the first time, it should prompt you to add an account. If it has not, follow these steps:
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1 |
Click File in the top-left corner of Outlook. |
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2 |
Click Add Account. |
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3 |
Enter your Microsoft 365 email address and click Connect. |
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4 |
Enter your password when prompted and click Sign in. |
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5 |
If prompted for multi-factor authentication, approve the request on your phone or enter the code shown. |
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6 |
Click Done. Outlook will begin syncing your emails. |
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💡 Tip: If you already have another email account in Outlook and want to add a second one, you can access the same Add Account option via File > Add Account at any time. |
2.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Auto-Mapping (Recommended)
If your IT administrator has assigned Full Access to a shared mailbox with auto-mapping enabled, the mailbox will appear automatically in your folder list on the left — usually within a few minutes of signing in.
ℹ You may need to close and reopen Outlook once for the shared mailbox to appear.
2.3 Adding a Shared Mailbox – Manually (If Not Auto-Mapped)
If the shared mailbox has not appeared automatically, follow these steps to add it manually:
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1 |
Click File in the top-left corner. |
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2 |
Under Account Information, click Account Settings, then select Account Settings. |
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3 |
Select your email account from the list and click Change. |
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4 |
Click More Settings in the bottom-right corner. |
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Click the Advanced tab. |
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Under Mailboxes, click Add. |
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Type the name or email address of the shared mailbox and click OK. |
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Click Apply, then OK, then Next, then Finish. The shared mailbox will now appear in your folder list. |
3. Microsoft 365 Outlook (Subscription, Windows)
Microsoft 365 Outlook (the subscription version) behaves very similarly to Classic Outlook. Follow the same steps as Section 2 above. The menus and layout are almost identical.
ℹ The only difference you may notice is a slightly more modern appearance. The File menu and account settings work in exactly the same way.
4. Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365)
4.1 Adding Your Email Account
When you open Outlook on a Mac for the first time, it will typically ask you to sign in. If it has not, or you need to add another account, follow these steps:
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1 |
Open Outlook on your Mac. |
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2 |
In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click Outlook (not the Outlook window — the menu bar), then select Settings. |
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Click Accounts. |
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Click the + (plus) button in the bottom-left corner of the Accounts window. |
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Select New Account. |
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Enter your Microsoft 365 email address and click Continue. |
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Enter your password and click Sign in. |
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If prompted for multi-factor authentication, approve the request on your phone or enter the code shown. |
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Click Done. Your inbox will begin to sync. |
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💡 Tip: On a Mac, the Outlook menu is in the top menu bar of your screen (next to the Apple logo), not inside the Outlook window itself. |
4.2 Adding a Shared Mailbox on Mac (Manual – Required)
Unlike Windows, Outlook on Mac does not support automatic shared mailbox mapping. You must add shared mailboxes manually. Your IT administrator must have granted you Full Access to the shared mailbox before you can do this.
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1 |
In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click Outlook, then select Settings. |
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2 |
Click Accounts. |
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Click the + (plus) button in the bottom-left corner. |
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4 |
Select Open Shared Mailbox. |
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Type the full email address of the shared mailbox (e.g. [email protected]) and click Open. |
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6 |
The shared mailbox will appear in your left-hand folder list, underneath your own mailbox. |
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💡 Tip: If you see an error saying you do not have permission, contact your IT administrator — access will need to be granted in Microsoft 365 before this step will work. |
Additional Reads
