Folder Sharing lets you give others access to your mail folders. You specify which folder, and the level of access, that is, whether the delegate can simply see items in a folder, or whether they can create, edit, and/or delete items.

Note: Items in any existing sub-folders of the folder you share are not available to the person unless you change the sharing permissions on each sub-folder. However, new sub-folders (created after sharing rights were set) inherit the folder access permissions of the parent folder.

If you are sharing any folder other than your Inbox, be sure to follow the steps in both part one and part two below.

Part One: Sharing the Contents of a Folder

This example shares your Inbox, but you can share any of your mail folders on the Exchange server. (You cannot share a folder on your computer.)

If you share a folder other than your Inbox, be sure to follow the steps in Part Two below.

1. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the folder you want to share. You can only share folders on the server. You cannot share a local folder.
2. From the dropdown menu that appears, select Sharing Permissions. A Folder Properties dialog box will open with the Permissions tab selected.
3. If the name of the person you’ll be sharing with is listed, skip down to step 8.
4. Click Add User.
5. In the field at the top of the Select User dialog box, type all or part of the person’s first or last name, then click Find. Accounts that match what you typed will be displayed.
6. Click on the person you want to share with, then click Add.
7. Back on the Folder Properties dialog box, click on the person’s name, then choose from the Permission Level dropdown list.
   •  If you just want to let this person read your messages, use Reviewer.
   •  If you want them to read AND be able to drop messages into a folder, use Non-editing Author.
8. Click OK.

The recipient will be able to view your shared mail folder. If you set up sharing for any folder other than your Inbox, you must also complete Part Two below.

Part Two: Making Higher-level Folders Visible

If you only shared your Inbox in Part One above, stop here. You do not need to read any further or do any of the steps here in Part Two.

If you shared something other than your Inbox, that is, a folder lower in the hierarchy, you’ll also need to make the “parents” of that folder visible, right up to the Inbox. Your delegate will not be able to see the items in each parent folder (unless you use the steps above for each one), but they need to be able to see the folders themselves in order to see the sub-folder where you want them to see the contents. 

In this example, say you shared the 2nd quarter folder in Part One of these instructions. You’ll need to follow the steps in Part Two (below) for each of that folder’s “parents”: Inbox, Proposals, and 2007.

The steps here are similar to part one (above), but step 7 is where it gets different.

1. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the folder you want to share. You can only share folders on the server. You cannot share a local folder.
2. From the dropdown menu that appears, select Sharing Permissions. A Folder Properties dialog box will open with the Permissions tab selected.
3. If the name of the person you’ll be sharing with is listed, skip down to step 8.
4. Click Add User.
5. In the field at the top of the Select User dialog box, type all or part of the person’s first or last name, then click Find. Accounts that match what you typed will be displayed.
6. Click on the person you want to share with, then click OK.
7. Back on the Folder Properties dialog box, click on the person’s name, then click to put a checkmark next to Folder Visible. Do not change the Permission level.
8. Click OK.

If the folder you shared in part one is a child of your Inbox, like Proposals in this screenshot, then you’re done after you do part two once (for Inbox).

If the folder you shared in part one is further down the hierarchy, like 2nd quarter in this screenshot, then you need to repeat part two for each level of the hierarchy.