Accessing a Shared Google Mailbox

Audience: Faculty and Staff

This KB Article References: Google Mail
This Information is Intended for: Faculty, Staff
Last Updated: August 11, 2020
Average Rating: Not Rated
Your feedback is important to us, help us by logging in to rate this article and provide feedback.

Shared Mailboxes are accessed as separate inboxes in Google Mail on a desktop browser. To access, mailboxes must be delegated to each person. Once a shared mailbox has been delegated to someone, it may take up to 24 hours for it to appear for that delegate. If you are expecting access to a delegated account but do not see it, first check that the mailbox administrator (in your department) has delegated the account; if so, sign out and then back in to your mail and check again for the shared mailbox as described below (more on delegating access to a shared mailbox).

Shared mailboxes cannot be accessed from mail apps on mobile devices (because they do not have usernames and passwords). For access from a mobile device, forward shared mailbox messages to your own email account.

In a Shared Mailbox in new Gmail, we cannot edit a contact phone number or email address; change a contact group; or view a contact’s phone number, address, or notes, for example. Learn more.

Access a Shared/Delegated Mailbox

Once the mailbox has been delegated, use these steps to access it:

  1. Click on the image or initial icon at the top right corner of your screen
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, click on the Shared Mailbox name, it with (delegated) after the email address. If you have a lot of shared mailboxes, you may need to scroll down to see them all.
    access shared mailbox
  3. The shared/delegated account will open in a new tab or window. It will look just like another inbox* but will NOT include:
    • Chat
    • Full access to Contacts
    • Calendar, Docs/Drive, Sites (calendars are delegated separately and will be accessed through My Calendars or Other Calendars in your Google Calendar view)
    • Labs
    • Themes

*Hint: To help you differentiate your personal mail from your shared/delegated mailbox, add a theme (color) to your first.last@stonybrook.edu account.

Additional Information


Files & Links

Provide Feedback


Your feedback is important to us, help us by logging in to rate this article and provide feedback.

Sign in with NetID

Getting Help


The Division of Information Technology provides support on all of our services. If you require assistance please submit a support ticket through the IT Service Management system.

Submit A Quick Ticket

Supported By


Customer Engagement and Support