Resource Accounts, a special type of Microsoft 365 Exchange email account for non-person resources, are useful for tasks like room and equipment reservations. A Cornell Resource Account can be accessed from the resource owner's NetID email account, by shifting account views in the email or calendar. 

Some people use different browsers or email tools to visually separate their personal and resource accounts.

Choose the instructions below based on the email tool preferred for the resource account. Either way, the steps begin by opening a NetID account in that tool, then adding the resource account. After adding the account, log out, and when you log in again, you can shift between your personal and resource account(s).

Use Classic Outlook (desktop client) or Outlook on the Web for Resource Account Management

1. In Outlook, click the File tab.
2. Click Add Account near the top of the screen. An Add Account dialog box will open.
3. For E-mail Address, enter the email address for your Resource Account, including @cornell.edu (for example, ccc-confroom-a@cornell.edu).
   Leave the other fields blank (Your Name, Password, and Retype Password).
4. Click Connect. A Cornell-branded authentication dialog box will open with the resource account’s email address displayed.
5. Change the email address to your own NetID-based email address and the password you use with your account. This is where users most frequently make a mistake. Be sure to change this address.
6. Click Sign in.
7. Wait (usually just a moment) while Outlook configures the account. When it’s finished, you’ll see Account successfully added. Click Done.
8. If you have more resource accounts to add, click Add another account and repeat steps 3 - 7.
9. Click Finish when done.
10. In the File menu, use the dropdown under Account Information to select the account you just added.
11. Select Account Settings.
12. Select Exchange Account Settings.
13. Make sure that Use Cached Exchange Mode to download email to an Outlook data file is unchecked.
14. Click Next.
15. Quit Outlook. Even though you may already see the resource account’s mailbox listed after your mail folders, don’t be fooled. You must quit and restart before things will work properly. Trust us.
16. Restart Outlook.

When starting Outlook, remember the login authentication for both the Resource Account and your personal Cornell NetID account will be your NetID@cornell.edu address for User name, followed by your NetID password.

Use New Outlook (desktop client) for Resource Account Management

Resource Accounts Synchronized with Classic Outlook

1. Determine if Automatic Mapping has synchronized previous accounts accessed in the Classic Outlook on the Web with New Outlook (desktop client).
2. In New Outlook, look in the Folder pane for a section called Shared with me.
3. Click Expand to access folders like Inbox and Sent Items in the Resource Accounts.
4. If a Resource Account doesn't appear, wait 15 minutes for synchronization to complete.

Manual Addition of Resource Accounts in New Outlook

1. In the Folder pane, right click your account name.
2. Select Add shared folder or mailbox.
3. Enter the email address of the Resource Account mailbox (e.g., JohnsBandCloset@cornell.edu, from the previous example)
4. If a Resource Account doesn't appear, wait 15 minutes for synchronization to complete.
5. The mailbox for the Resource Account will appear under Shared with me.

Send Email from Resource Account Mailbox

1. When composing a new email, enable the From field:
   1. Click New Mail → Options → Show From.
2. Choose the Resource Account email address in the From dropdown.

Resource Account Calendar and Contacts

Like other Outlook clients, Resource Account calendars and contacts can be accessed from the email application.

1. Use the Folder pane to access the Resource Account's calendar and contacts.

Remove Resource Accounts in New Outlook

1. Click Settings (gear icon) in the top right-corner
2. Navigate to Accounts > Shared with me.
3. Identify the Resource Account, then expand its card in the Shared with me pane.
4. Click Remove on that expanded card.
5. This will remove the card and Resource Account's visibility but it does not revoke your permission. You still have access to the account if you need to return to actively sharing the resource.
6. If your actions do not remove the card, your shared account may have been auto-mapped by IT, in which case you will see a notice that it was added automatically and including its mapped path.

Use a non-Outlook Email Client for Resource Account Management

The procedure above assumes you are already using Outlook (in Exchange mode) to access your NetID mail account.

If you are not using Outlook for your NetID email account, do not follow the instructions here. Instead, complete the steps in our Initial Setup for Outlook article, with this one change:

In step 6, for E-mail address, use the Resource Account’s email address. If the account has more than one address, you can use any of them.

For all other steps, where it asks for your User name, enter your netid@cornell.edu address. Where it asks for a password, use the password for your NetID.