How to share my Exchange Data (Mailbox, Calendar, Contacts, etc.) to my Delegates with Outlook 2010?

With Exchange Data Sharing feature, users (e.g. managers) can give another user (a delegate, e.g. assistant or secretary) access to their Exchange calendars, contacts, task, or mail folders so that the person can read the owner's events, contacts, or mail messages. With given permission, the delegate can also create, edit, and delete items in the shared folder. Moreover, together with Outlook Delegates function, a user's delegate can view invitations and mail messages that are sent to that user. With given permission, the delegate can send and reply to invitations and messages for the user. Both the user and the delegate's account name appear on the invitation or message.

Following are some procedures for setting up and using the Exchange Data Sharing and Outlook Delegates functions with Outlook 2010:

A. Share Default Folders (Calendar, Inbox, Contact, etc.) with Delegate Access

a1. Launch Outlook 2010

a2. Choose "Info" in the "File" Menu

a3. Click on the "Account Settings"

a4. Click on the "Delegate Access"

Select the "Delegate Access: option

a5. Click "Add..." to open the Add Users dialog box

open the Add Users dialog box

a6. Select the user you want to assign delegate access ("Test User 1b" is an example)

a7. Click "Add"

a8. Click "OK"

Add Users

a9. Specify the appropriate permissions for each default folder (Calendar, Inbox, Contact, etc.) you want the selected delegate to access on your behalf. Some permissions commonly used are:

  • Reviewer - The delegate can only read items
  • Author - The delegate can create and read all items but can edit and delete only the delegate's own items
  • Editor - The delegate can create, read, edit, and delete all items

a10. For Calendar sharing, if you want the delegate to receive and handle your meeting-related messages (e.g. meeting requests and invitations), click to activate the "Delegates receives copies of meeting-related messages sent to me" check box

a11. If you want Outlook to send a message to the delegate outlining the permissions you set, click to activate the "Automatically send a message to delegate summarizing these permissions" check box

a12. If you want the delegate to also see those items that you marked as private, click to activate the "Delegate can see my private items" check box

a13. Click "OK" to return to the previous dialog box

Set Delegate Permissions

a14. Click "OK" to exit the Delegates Menu

Click "OK" to exit the Delegates Menu

B. Access Shared Default Folders (Calendar, Inbox, Contact, etc.)

b1. Launch Outlook 2010

b2. Choose "Other User's Folder" in the item Open of the File Menu

open "Other User's Folder"

b3. Enter (or select) the user who shared the folder to you ("xxxxx" is the name of the user you want to access)

b4. In the Folder Type list, click the type of folder you want to access

b5. Click "OK". Outlook will display the shared folder.

Enter folder information

C. Share a Folder (including non-default folders and sub-folders) and make it Visible to the Delegate

c1. Launch Outlook 2010

c2. Follow Section A for adding your delegate(s) with appropriate Delegate Permissions if you have not done so

c3. From Outlook's Folder List (shown at the left hand side), right click the folder name of the folder you want to share

c4. Choose "Data File Properties..."

Choose "Data File Properties..."

c5. Click on the "Permissions" tab

c6. Under the Other heading, check the box next to "Folder visible" (may need to do this at the top of your Mailbox/Folder List as well)

c7. Click "OK"

Set Permissions

D. Work together with Shared Folders

d1. Launch Outlook 2010

d2. Choose "Info" in the "File" Menu

d3. Click on the "Account Settings"

d4. Select the "Account Settings..."

choose "Account Settings"

d5. Select your Exchange account (Type is Microsoft Exchange)

d6. Click "Change"

change "Account Settings"

d7. Click "More Settings..."

More Settings...

d8. Click on the "Advanced" tab

d9. Click "Add..."

Add additional mailboxes under "Advanced" tab

d10. Enter (or select) the user who shared the folders to you (xxxxxxxx is an example)

d11. Click "OK"

Add user

d12. Click "Next" -> "Finish" -> "Close"

The shared folders will be displayed together with your own folders in the Folder List when Outlook is launched.

Return to Exchange System FAQ page

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