Allowing a User to Access Another User's Exchange 2003 Mailbox

Sometimes a manager, co-worker, or assistant needs to access another user's mailbox. I'll discuss three recommended methods you can use to achieve this in Microsoft Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2003, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. I'll also let you know about some methods to avoid. To demonstrate these methods, let's say that Bob (i.e., user1) needs access to the mailbox of Sally (i.e., user2).

Method 1

One way to give Bob access to Sally's mailbox is to use delegation, which can be achieved without the involvement of an administrator. First, Sally needs to give Bob access to her mailbox. In Outlook 2003, this is done by choosing Options on the Tools menu, selecting the Delegates tab, and clicking the Add button, as shown in Figure 1. (In Outlook 2010, it's done by selecting Info on the File tab, clicking Account Settings, choosing Delegate Access, and clicking Add.)

Figure 1: Adding a Delegate

Clicking Add spawns the Add Users dialog box. Sally just needs to highlight Bob's Active Directory (AD) username, click the Add button, and click the OK button. This brings up the Delegate Permissions dialog box shown in Figure 2. In it, Sally can configure the permissions she wants to give Bob for each of the following folders: Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Journal, Notes, and Tasks.

Figure 2: Configuring the Delegate's Permissions

After Sally has given Bob delegate permissions, Bob can access Sally's mailbox in his Outlook client. To do so, he needs to select Open on the File menu and click the Other User's Folder option. In the dialog box shown in Figure 3, Bob can then click the Name button, select Sally's AD username, and select the folder he wants to access.

Figure 3: Opening Another User's Folder

When Bob replies to Sally's email, the email reply will include "on behalf of" in the From field. Figure 4 shows an example of this.

Figure 4: Letting an Email Recipient Know the Message Was Sent on a User's Behalf

The main advantages to Method 1 are that an administrator doesn't need to be involved and users can easily understand what permissions they're giving to other users. The disadvantage is that Bob can access only six folders (i.e., Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Journal, Notes, and Tasks) and only one folder at a time.

Method 2

Another way to give Bob access to Sally's mailbox is to manually add Bob's AD username (user1) to Sally's Send on behalf permissions using either the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in or the Server Management console in Windows Server Essentials (formerly named Small Business Server). This method requires the involvement of an administrator, but not Bob or Sally.

Here are the steps that you or another administrator should follow to add Sally's AD username in the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in:

After these steps are performed, Bob can access Sally's mailbox through the Other User's Folder option in his Outlook client. Like with Method 1, the email replies made by Bob to Sally's emails will include "on behalf of" in the From field.

Method 2 has the same disadvantage as Method 1. Bob can access only six folders (i.e., Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Journal, Notes, and Tasks) and only one folder at a time.

Method 3

A third way to give Bob access to Sally's mailboxis to add Sally's Exchange profile to Bob's Windows Mail Profile. This method requires the involvement of an administrator, but not Bob or Sally (as long as the administrator has access to Sally's desktop). Here are the steps that you or another administrator should perform:

Now when Bob opens his Outlook client, he'll see his mailbox and Sally's mailbox, as Figure 8 shows.

As in Method 1 and Method 2, the email replies made by Bob to Sally's emails will include "on behalf of" in the From field. When Bob replies to Sally's emails, the replies are stored in Sally's Sent Items. Although users might not expect this, it's logical to store them there.

Method 3 offers two important advantages. First, Bob has full access to all of Sally's Outlook folders (not just the Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Journal, Notes, and Tasks folders). Second, Bob can use the full functionality of the Outlook client to manage Sally's mailbox.

Methods to Avoid

There are two more ways to give Bob access to Sally's mailbox, both of which I don't recommend:

Three Methods Lead to Same Successful Result

Having a manager, co-worker, or assistant manage an absent employee's Exchange email account is commonplace and necessary. Email access can quickly be provided, without compromising the absent employee's entire desktop. There's absolutely no need to share Windows logon passwords just so someone can handle another person's Exchange mailbox. Employees will also appreciate that they don't have to bounce from desk to desk many times a day to respond to absent employees' email messages.

In addition, the "on behalf of" insertion in the From field ensures that the manager, co-worker, or assistant can't use the absent employee's email without his or her knowledge, preventing intentional nefarious behavior. The "on behalf of" insertion also prevents confusion in the future as to who actually created the email content.

As you've seen, there are three recommended methods for allowing a user to access another user's Exchange mailbox. Method 1 allows users to delegate authority, albeit with limited access to the absent employee's entire Exchange folder structure. Method 2 provides the same capabilities as Method 1 and might be more appropriate for non-technical-savvy users. For users, Method 3 is just like sitting in the absent employee's chair. Plus, it's the best method for administrators who need complete control. No matter which recommended method you choose, it takes less than three minutes to implement it once you know what you're doing.