Sharing an e-mail inbox allows multiple K-State e-mail users access to the same inbox. For example, a departmental or office inbox can be shared with multiple employees that help manage office e-mail.

When sending mail from a shared folder, you may want to create a persona, which allows you to use multiple e-mail addresses from your mailbox. For example, if you are sharing an office inbox, your persona may indicate that messages sent from you are on behalf of that office inbox.

To share an e-mail inbox:

  1. Sign in to K-State webmail at webmail.ksu.edu.
  2. Right-click the inbox you want to share and click Share Inbox. The Share Properties window will open.
  3. E-mail inboxes can only be shared with internal K-State e-mail users with @ksu.edu and @k-state.edu e-mail addresses. Enter the e-mail address(es) for user(s) you want to share with and select the user(s) Role. Privileges for each role are dependent on the type of item you are sharing:
    • None
    • Viewer. User will only be allowed to view folders and messages in the inbox.
    • Manager. User will be allowed to view, edit, add, and delete messages and folders in the inbox. The user will be able to send messages from the shared inbox.
    • Admin. User will be allowed to view, edit, add, and delete messages and folders in the inbox. The user will also be allowed to send messages from and share the shared inbox.
  4. In the Message area, select what kind of notification message you want to send:
    • Do not send mail about this share. No message is sent. If you do not send a notification message, the user cannot accept the share and will not be able to see the shared inbox.
    • Send standard message. The standard-share notification message is sent to the e-mail address. This message includes the name of the item being shared, your address, the address of the user granted permission to share the item, and the role assigned to that user with a list of the allowed actions.
    • Add a note to standard message. You can add additional information to the standard message.
    • Compose e-mail in new window. Create and send a new e-mail message.
  5. Click OK.
  6. The user to whom you have granted access will receive a notification message and must click the Accept Share button above the Subject line to begin sharing the inbox. The user must be using webmail.k-state.edu to accept the share.
  7. When your share is accepted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail message. You will also receive an e-mail message if your share was declined.

Notes about sharing inboxes:

  • The shared folder will appear to each user inline with the rest of that user’s shared inboxes, below their personal inbox.
  • Users can change the name and color of the shared inbox, but these changes will not affect the inbox name or color for any other user.
  • Share privileges can be revoked or edited by the inbox owner by right-clicking on the shared inbox and clicking Edit Properties.

To create a persona:

  1. Sign in to K-State webmail at webmail.ksu.edu.
  2. Click the Options tab.
  3. Click the Accounts tab.
  4. Click Add Persona button.
  5. In the Persona Settings section, enter a Persona Name. This name is used to identify the persona in the “From” list when composing an e-mail.
  6. In the text box below From:, enter the name that should appear in the From field of your outgoing e-mail messages (for example, John Smith on behalf of Management Office). This is the friendly name that is shown before your e-mail address.
  7. From the drop-down list, select the e-mail address to send messages from.
  8. If replies should be sent to a name and address different from that which you configured in From, check Reply-to and enter the Name and E-mail address that should receive replies for this persona.
  9. You can select a Signature to use for this persona. If you have not created the signature, you can come back and edit this persona later. If you do not want the signature to be applied automatically, select Do Not Attach Signature.
  10. If you want messages replying to or forwarding from a specific e-mail address to automatically use this persona, check the box next to When replying to or forwarding messages sent to: and enter the E-mail address.
  11. If you want mail replying to or forwarding from messages in a specific folder to automatically use this persona, check the box next to Replying to or forwarding messages in folder(s): and click the Folder icon to select one or more folders from the list of existing folders or to create a new folder.
  12. Click the Save button in the top left to save this persona.
  13. To use a persona when composing a new e-mail message, select the persona from the Account drop-down menu next to the Subject line.

Next week, how to share documents and briefcases will be explained in detail.

Go to the K-State Zimbra website to read frequently asked questions, getting-started information, and helpful tips and tricks.