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Send an e-mail message on behalf of someone else
 
Applies to
Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003

This feature requires you to use a Microsoft Exchange account.

 Note   This article is written exclusively for delegate (delegate: Someone granted permission to open another person's folders, create items, and respond to requests for that person. The person granting delegate permission determines the folders the delegate can access and the changes the delegate can make.) access to e-mail messages and does not cover other delegate access scenarios, including Calendars and Tasks.

Delegate Access

Just as you might have an assistant who helps you manage your incoming paper mail, you can use Outlook with Exchange server e-mail accounts to give another person access to your Inbox and any other Outlook folder. The process of granting someone permission to open folders, read and create items, and respond to requests for another person is called Delegate Access.

You, the person granting permission, determine the level of access that you want to give the delegate. You can give a delegate permission to read items in your folders or to read, create, modify, and delete items. You can give a delegate permission to send and respond to e-mail messages on your behalf. The delegate can also organize meetings on your behalf and respond to your meeting requests and task requests.

 Note   If you want to use the Delegate Access feature, your e-mail must be delivered to your mailbox (mailbox: Location on a Microsoft Exchange server where your e-mail is delivered. Your administrator sets up a mailbox for each user. If you designate a personal folder file as your e-mail delivery location, messages are routed to it from your mailbox.) on the server, not to a Personal Folders file (.pst) (Personal Folders file (.pst): Data file that stores your messages and other items on your computer. You can assign a .pst file to be the default delivery location for e-mail messages. You can use a .pst to organize and back up items for safekeeping.) on your hard disk.

Step 1: Grant delegate access permissions to someone

ShowGrant delegate access to someone

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Click the Delegates tab.

    ShowWhat if the Delegates tab is missing?

    If you don't see the Delegates tab in the Options dialog box, you need to install the add-in to use the Delegate Access feature.

    1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
    2. Click the Other tab.
    3. Click Advanced Options, and then click Add-In Manager.
    4. Select the Delegate Access check box, and then click OK.

      If you don't see the Delegate Access check box, do the following:

      1. Click Install, and then click the Dlgsetp.ecf file.
      2. Close and reopen the Options dialog box.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Type the name for your delegate or select it from the Name list.
  5. Under Add Users, click Add, and then click OK.

     Note   To add multiple delegates simultaneously, hold down CTRL and click names in the Name list. The permissions that you select apply to all of the delegates.

    The Delegate Permissions dialog box should appear.

  6. By default, the delegate is not allowed to see private items. To allow the delegate access to the items that you mark as private, select the Delegate can see my private items check box.

     Note   Author or Editor access allows the delegate to also read e-mail messages. You can remove this ability by clearing the Read items check box. However, to allow the delegate to respond to meeting requests, you must allow Read access.

ShowShare your Exchange mailbox

  1. On the Go menu, click Mail.
  2. Under All Mail Folders, right-click your Exchange mailbox.

    This usually appears as Mailbox - user name

  3. Click Sharing.

    Sharing command on shortcut menu when user right-clicks Mailbox in folder list

    Callout 1 Right-click the Exchange mailbox.

    Callout 2 Click Sharing.

    Do you already see the delegate's name? You might have selected the Inbox, not Mailbox - user name.

  4. On the Permissions tab, click Add.
  5. Type the name of your delegate or select it from the Name list. Click Add.
  6. To add the name to your permissions list, click OK.
  7. On the Permissions tab, next to Permission Level, you must select, at minimum, Nonediting Author.

    You can also select Author, Publishing Author, Editor, Publishing Editor, or Owner.

Step 2: Act as the delegate

ShowOpen someone else's mailbox

  1. On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.
  2. Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
  3. Select your Exchange account, and then click Change.
  4. Click More Settings, and then click the Advanced tab.
  5. Under Mailboxes, click Add, and then type the person's mailbox that you want to add.

     Note   The mailbox name is usually the person's full name.

  6. Click OK, click Next, and then click Finish.

    Overview of the steps to add another mailbox to an e-mail profile, with the result

    Callout 1 On the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts.

    Callout 2 The delegate's name is in the Add mailbox field.

    Callout 3 The other person's mailbox appears in the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.) under All Mail Folders or in the Folder List under All Folders.

ShowSend e-mail on behalf of someone else

  1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Mail Message.

     Note   Even though you can click From and select any name from the Global Address Book, you are allowed to send a message only on behalf of someone who has granted you that permission.

  2. In the From box, type the name of the person you are sending on behalf of. If you leave the box blank, the message is sent from you.

     Note   If you do not see the From box above the To and Cc boxes, do the following: In the message window, on the E-mail toolbar, click the arrow on the Options button, and then click From. If you are not using Microsoft Office Word 2003 as your default editor, in the message window, on the View menu, click From Field.


Portions of this article are excerpted from Training on Microsoft Office Online.

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