Microsoft 365: Shared mailboxes and calendars

Shared Microsoft 365 mailboxes are mailboxes that can have more than one user. No separate username is needed for using them; instead, the user logs in using their own username. A shared mailbox also includes a shared calendar. See instructions for calendar here.

A shared mailbox can be used as the service e-mail address of a department or a group, for example.

    General

    E-mails of a shared mailbox are read just like those in your own mailbox. A shared mailbox works mainly like a shared mailbox of Mappi mail.

    You can only order a mailbox for a group. Before ordering a mailbox, find a suitable group in the group administration tool or create a new one (see the instructions on how to create a group).

    By default, the group gets read, write and copy rights and the Behalf of send rights, or the so-called Full access rights. You can specify the required rights in more detail in the e-form.

    There are two types of send rights. You can only choose one of these for the target group:

    • “Send as” right means the right to send e-mail from the shared mailbox in such a way that the recipient only sees the name of the shared mailbox as the sender.
    • “Send on behalf” grants you the right to send e-mail in such a way that the recipient sees the name of the shared mailbox and that of the person sending the message. Example: “Thomas Tester on behalf of Test Box.”

    You can also grant separate rights for viewing the calendar, for example, for a larger group of people. The group calendar can also be utilised more flexibly this way as some users have the right to add entries to the calendar, while others can view the entries. Several options are available. Consult the Helpdesk for more information.

    More instructions in Detailed Help tab

    Ordering a new shared mailbox

    Use the e-form (in Finnish) to place the order. The form asks for the following information, among others:

    • Required address (such as humppa-info@helsinki.fi). The administration checks that the e-mail address is available.
    • Future users of the mailbox (notify the group). You can create a specific group for this purpose (or several groups with different rights), allowing the group admins to adjust the user rights of the shared mailbox.
    • Or, alternatively, you can change the send right to the Send as right, meaning the right to send e-mail from the shared mailbox in such a way that the recipient only sees the name of the shared mailbox as the sender.

    Group management tool

    The group is used for the administration of rights of the shared mailboxes. You can find predefined groups in the group management tool (see the instructions). You can pick a suitable group or create a new one. The person ordering the group is responsible for the group and able to add users to the group. Please note that the person responsible for the group must also be added as a member to the group if they want to use the shared e-mail. Attaching a group to e-mail requires that there is at least one member in the group in addition to the person responsible for it. See the user administration page for more detailed instructions.

    For more information on shared mailboxes, see the Microsoft site.

    Transferring a shared mailbox from Mappi mail

    An existing shared Mappi mailbox can be transferred to the Office 365 service. In this case, all users of the mailbox have to be using either the cloud service or the local service.
    Username+subfolder controls used in Mappi mail, such as iankka+subfolder@mappi.helsinki.fi, do not work in Office.

    Use the e-form (in Finnish) to order the transfer of a mailbox. The form asks for the following information, among others:

    • Address of the current shared Mappi mailbox, such as humppa-atk@helsinki.fi. The address will remain the same.
    • Future users of the mailbox (notify the group). You can create a specific group for this purpose (or several groups with different rights), allowing the group admins to adjust the user rights of the shared mailbox.
    • Or, alternatively, you can change the send right to the Send as right, meaning the right to send e-mail from the shared mailbox in such a way that the recipient only sees the name of the shared mailbox as the sender.

    The old mailboxes remain in use in the Mappi system but no longer receive new messages. The user may copy important e-mails to the new mailbox themselves if they like.

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