How to Create a Shared Folder for All Exchange Online Mailboxes

Exchange Online is a part of Microsoft 365. It is one of the most widely used cloud-based email solutions for businesses. Also, it provides advanced features to manage emails, calendars, contacts, and files. One powerful functionality is the ability to create shared folders or mailboxes. In this guide, I will explain why shared folders are important, along with different ways to create them in Exchange Online. You will get the detailed step-by-step instructions for each method. To skip all the issues from your shared mailbox, you can simply move to the best practice to create folder in all mailboxes.

Brief Overview of Shared Folders in Exchange Online Mailboxes

With the help of a shared folder, multiple users to access the same emails, documents, or calendars from one central place. So the users do not need to forward emails or create duplicates. All team members can simply open the shared folder and get the required information instantly. It is useful for teams like sales, support, HR, or project groups, where multiple people need to stay updated with the same set of communications.

Why We Should Create a Shared Folder in Exchange Online?

Before you will proceed with the methods, let us understand that why shared folders are so helpful for an organization:

• The first benefit is that everyone in the team can access the same mailbox. As a result, it reduces the chances to miss any kind of important messages.
• Multiple people can work on the same set of emails or files, making teamwork easier.
• No need to forward emails to multiple team members or keep several copies of the same document.
• Everyone has the same level of visibility, ensuring accountability and clear communication.
• Teams don’t waste time searching for emails or documents sent to different individuals.

Now, you know that the benefits are clear. For better ideas, you should compare Microsoft 365 Plans & Features. Let’s explore the different ways to create a shared folder for all Exchange Online mailboxes.

Explore the Ways to Create a Shared Folder in Exchange Online

There are three main ways you can create a shared folder or mailbox in Exchange Online:

1. Microsoft 365 Admin Center: For admins who want a quick and user-friendly method.
2. Exchange Admin Center (EAC): A slightly more advanced option with detailed configuration.
3. PowerShell: Best for IT administrators who need to create shared folders and assign access to all users in bulk.

Method 1: Microsoft 365 Admin Center to Create a global folder for all mailboxes in Office 365

First, you should be aware of that you need the knowledge of technical terms when you choose this method to complete this task. An individual can use this method for small to medium-sized teams.

Steps to Create a folder for all Mailboxes in Exchange Online

1. Log in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center using your admin account.
2. From the left menu, select Exchange Admin Center.
3. Navigate to Recipients>>Shared.
4. After that, click on + Add a Shared Mailbox.
5. Provide a Name and Email address for the shared mailbox.
6. Example: Name = Sales Team, Email = sales@company.com.
7. Once created, assign members (users or groups) who should have access to this shared mailbox.
8. Save the changes.
9. After this, the shared mailbox will automatically appear in Outlook and Outlook Web App (OWA) for the assigned users.

After this, the shared mailbox will automatically appear in Outlook and Outlook Web App (OWA) for the assigned users.

Method 2: Using Exchange Admin Center (EAC)

The Exchange Admin Center provides more flexibility and options when creating shared folders.

Steps to Create a Global Folder for all Mailboxes in Office 365

1. Sign in to the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
2. From the dashboard, go to Recipients>>Shared.
3. Next, click on the + button to create a new shared mailbox.
4. After that, enter the Display Name and Email Address for the shared mailbox.
5. Along with that, assign the required permissions:
6. Option of full Access: Allows users to open the shared mailbox and manage emails.
7. Option of Send As: Users can send emails as if they are the shared mailbox.
8. Add all users (or groups) who need access.
9. At last, save the configuration and changes.

This method is recommended for administrators who need to fine-tune permissions and manage shared mailboxes in detail.

Method 3: Create a Universal Folder in Exchange Online using PowerShell

If a user wants to create a shared folder along with access to all their mailboxes at once, then PowerShell is the most efficient option. This approach is quite useful for large organizations with hundreds of employees.

Perform the Steps to Create a Universal Folder in Exchange Online using PowerShell

• Open Windows PowerShell and connect it to Exchange Online using this command:
  

  Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName admin@yourdomain.com

• Create a shared mailbox with this command:
  

  New-Mailbox -Shared -Name “TeamSharedMailbox” -DisplayName “Team Shared” -Alias teamshared

• Now, you should assign permissions to all users in your organization:
  

  Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | ForEach-Object {Add-MailboxPermission -Identity “TeamSharedMailbox” -User $_.PrimarySmtpAddress -AccessRights FullAccess}

This script creates the shared mailbox and then automatically gives Full Access to every user in the organization.

Note: Be careful when giving access to everyone. For sensitive or private departments, it’s safer to allow only specific groups.

Limitations Associated With the Shared Folders in Exchange Online

Even though shared folders are very useful, they also have some limits you should know:

• Permission management: If you gave access to many users, then it can be difficult to manage the proper monitor process.
• Mailbox quota: Maybe you are aware or not, shared mailboxes still have size limits. So, you have to manage all those things together. For that, you can increase Mailbox Size in Microsoft 365 Exchange Online with ease.
• Confidentiality risks: If a user stores sensitive data in shared mailboxes, it may lead to privacy issues. Because access of too many people have is not appropriate for sensitive information.
• Performance issues: Large shared mailboxes can affect your Outlook’s performance.

Why Use an Office 365 Backup Tool Along with Shared Folders?

When you create a shared folder in Exchange Online, it can make teamwork easy to connect with. Although this process does not provide complete safety for your shared mailbox data. You should think if your emails are not available in your inbox due to any kind of issue. In that case, you can lose your important email data. At that moment, it is quite difficult to access all the data in your mailbox. To skip all these scenarios, you should simply backup all your shared mailbox data from Office 365. Here, you can depend on the Aryson Office 365 Backup Tool to backup and restore all the shared mailbox data into your local folder.

With the help of this utility, you can:

• Backup all your shared mailbox data, including emails, attachments, and calendars.
• Save emails in multiple formats, like PST, EML, MBOX, etc, to use in the future.
• Also, it can protect business-critical communication from sudden data loss.

When you combine the shared folder, it can setup with a reliable backup tool. So, you can make sure both collaboration and security for your Office 365 environment.

Best Practices for Managing Shared Folders

To avoid issues and ensure smooth usage, follow these best practices to create a subfolder in all user mailboxes in Exchange Online with PowerShell:

• Use groups not individuals: You can give access to Microsoft 365 groups. So you do not need to add each user one by one.
• Check permissions often: Moreover, remove users who no longer need access to keep it secure.
• Turn on archive Data: Also, the user can move old emails to an archive. So the mailbox does not reach the maximum size limit.
• Guide your team: Organization should teach everyone how to use the shared folder the right way.
• Monitor the process: You should review the shared mailbox from time to time to make sure that everyone is using it properly.

Conclusion

Everyone finds it easy to create a shared folder in Exchange Online to improve communication and teamwork. You can set it up using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center for a quick method, the Exchange Admin Center for more control, or PowerShell if you need to add all users at once. For small teams, the Admin Center works well, while big organizations can save time with PowerShell. By using the best practices shared above, you can keep your shared folder secure, organized, and helpful for your team.

About The Author:

Rohan Wiese

Rohan Wiese is a Technical Writer at Aryson Technologies. He is an expert Email Forensic, Cloud Computing, and a passionate nerd with over 10 years of experience in technical content writing. He writes about Cloud Migration, Database Recovery, Email Backup, Windows, Mac, and Tech.