Granting delegate access to your Outlook account

Overview
Granting delegate access in Outlook for Windows
Granting delegate access in Outlook for Mac
Granting delegate access in Outlook on the web
Delegate access sharing levels

Overview

You can grant someone delegate access to your USC Outlook account's inbox and calendar. You can grant a range of permissions, from view-only access to the ability to send emails and manage calendar events on your behalf.

Does my Outlook version let me assign delegate access?

According to Microsoft official documentation, not all versions of Outlook allow you to grant delegate access yet. We recommend that you use Classic Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac:

Outlook version
Can it be used to assign delegate permissions?
(New) Outlook for Windows Calendar only Classic Outlook for Windows Mailbox and calendar
(New) Outlook for Mac Mailbox and calendar
Legacy Outlook for Mac (retiring in Oct 2025) Mailbox and calendar Outlook on the web (https://usc.edu/office365) Calendar only

Granting delegate access in Outlook for Windows

Outlook vs. Classic Outlook

Grant delegate access in Outlook for Windows

Quick guide

Email access

To grant someone access to your mailbox, you will need to switch back to Classic Outlook by unselecting the New Outlook toggle in the upper right.

According to Microsoft official documentation, "Currently, assigning delegate permissions to mail folders in new Outlook is only partially available. You can still have delegates, but you must use classic Outlook to assign those permissions first."

Calendar access

Click the Calendar tab.
Right-click the calendar you want to share, and select Sharing and permissions.
Search for and select your delegate.
By default, the delegate's permission level is set to Can view all details. You can change this.
Click Share.
The delegate now has calendar access, and receives a sharing invitation via email.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Email access

To grant someone access to your mailbox, you will need to switch back to Classic Outlook by unselecting the New Outlook toggle in the upper right.

Calendar access

Click the Calendar tab.
Right-click the calendar you want to share, and select Sharing and permissions.
Search for and select your delegate.
By default, the delegate's permission level is set to Can view all details. You can change this.
Click Share.
The delegate now has calendar access, and receives a sharing invitation via email.

Grant delegate access in Classic Outlook for Windows

Quick guide

Open Outlook for Windows.
Click File.
Click Account Settings > Delegate Access.
Click Add…
In the search bar, type the person's name. Then, select them by double clicking their name in the list.
They should now appear in the Add -> field. Click OK.
Click the Calendar and Inbox dropdowns and select the access levels you want to grant. Click OK.
To grant delegate access to additional people, repeat steps 4–6.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Open Outlook for Windows.
Click File.
Click the Account Settings icon. Select Delegate Access from the dropdown.
Click Add…
In the search bar, type the person's name. Then, select them by double clicking their name in the list.
They should now appear in the Add -> field. Click OK.
Click the Calendar and Inbox dropdowns and select the access levels you want to grant. Click OK.
To grant delegate access to additional people, repeat steps 4–6.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Granting delegate access in Outlook for Mac

Outlook vs. Legacy Outlook

Grant delegate access in Outlook for Mac

Quick guide

Open Outlook.
In the menu bar, click Outlook and select Settings.
Click Accounts.
Select your account.
Select Delegates & Sharing.
Click the Add icon.
Type the delegate's name in the search bar. Select it, and click Add.
In the Inbox and Calendar fields, select an access level. Make any other changes as needed, and click OK. The delegate is added.
Close the Accounts window.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Open Outlook for Mac.
In the menu bar, click Outlook and select Settings.
Click Accounts.
Select your account.
Select Delegates & Sharing.
Click the Add icon.
Type the delegate's name in the search bar. Select it, and click Add.
In the Inbox and Calendar fields, select an access level. Make any other changes as needed, and click OK. The delegate is added.
Close the Accounts window.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Grant delegate access in Legacy Outlook

Legacy Outlook for Mac retires Oct 2025: Microsoft will be retiring Legacy Outlook this October. If you currently use Legacy Outlook for Mac, be prepared to switch to the latest version of Outlook. For more information, refer to the Microsoft article, "End of support for legacy Outlook for Mac."

Quick guide

Open Outlook for Mac.
At the top, click Tools > Accounts…
Click Advanced…
At the top, click the Delegates tab.
Under Delegates who can act on my behalf, click the [+] icon.
In the search bar, type the person's name. Select them by clicking their name in the list, and click Add.
Click the Calendar and Inbox dropdowns and select the access levels you want to grant. Click OK.
To grant delegate access to additional people, repeat steps 5–8.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Open Outlook for Mac.
At the top, click the Tools menu and select Accounts… from the dropdown.
Click Advanced…
Click the Delegates tab.
Under Delegates who can act on my behalf, click the [+] icon.
In the search bar, type the person's name.
Select them by clicking their name in the list, and click Add.
Click the Calendar and Inbox dropdowns and select the access levels you want to grant. Click OK.
To grant delegate access to additional people, repeat steps 5–8.
Quit and reopen Outlook.

Granting delegate access in Outlook on the web

Email access

To grant someone access to your mailbox, you will need to use Classic Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac. According to Microsoft official documentation, "Currently, assigning delegate permissions to mail folders in Outlook on the web is only partially available. You can still have delegates, but you must use classic Outlook to assign those permissions first."

Calendar access

Quick guide

Sign in at https://usc.edu/office365.
Click the Calendar tab.
Right-click the calendar you want to share, and select Sharing and permissions.
Search for and select your delegate.
By default, the delegate's permission level is set to Can view all details. You can change this.
Click Share.
The delegate now has calendar access, and receives a sharing invitation via email.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Sign in at https://usc.edu/office365.
Click the Calendar tab.
Right-click the calendar you want to share, and select Sharing and permissions.
Search for and select your delegate.
By default, the delegate's permission level is set to Can view all details. You can change this.
Click Share.
The delegate now has calendar access, and receives a sharing invitation via email.

Delegate access sharing levels

Outlook inbox

Reviewer: The delegate can view your emails.
Author: The delegate can view your emails and write emails on your behalf.
The delegate can change/delete emails that they write on your behalf.
Editor: The delegate can view your emails and write emails on your behalf.
The delegate can change/delete all emails, including those you created.

Outlook calendar

Reviewer: The delegate can view your calendar.
Author: The delegate can view your calendar and add appointments and meetings. They can also send meeting requests on your behalf.
The delegate can change/delete appointments and meetings that they create on your behalf.
Editor: The delegate can view your calendar and add appointments and meetings. They can also send meeting requests on your behalf.
The delegate can change/delete all appointments and meetings, including those you created.

Contributor: Albert Rodriguez.