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Use a screen reader to add a new shared mailbox in the Classic Exchange admin center in Exchange Online

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You can use your screen reader to create a shared mailbox in the Classic Exchange admin center (Classic EAC) in Exchange Online. Shared mailboxes make it easy for a group of people in your organization to monitor and send email from a common account, such as info@contoso.com or support@contoso.com. When a person in the group replies to a message sent to the shared mailbox, the email looks like it was sent by the shared mailbox, not from the individual user. Learn more about shared mailboxes.

Get started

Navigate with Internet Explorer and keyboard shortcuts, and make sure that you have the appropriate Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription plan and admin role to work in the EAC. Then, open the EAC and get started.

Use your browser and keyboard to navigate in the EAC

Exchange Online, which includes the EAC, is a web-based application, so the keyboard shortcuts and navigation may be different from those in Exchange 2016. Accessibility in the Exchange admin center.

For best results when working in the EAC in Exchange Online, use Internet Explorer as your browser. Learn more about Internet Explorer keyboard shortcuts.

Many tasks in the EAC require the use of pop-up windows. In your browser, be sure to enable pop-up windows for Microsoft 365 or Office 365.

Confirm your Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription plan

Exchange Online is included in several different subscription plans, but capabilities may differ by plan. If your EAC doesn't include a function described in this topic, your plan might not include it.

For more information about the Exchange Online capabilities in your subscription plan, go to What Office 365 business product or license do I have? and Exchange Online Service Description..

Open the EAC, and confirm your admin role

To add a new shared mailbox, Use a screen reader to open the Exchange admin center in Exchange Online and check that you've been assigned to the Organization Management and Recipient Management admin role groups. Learn how to Use a screen reader to identify your admin role in the Exchange admin center.

Create a shared mailbox

  1. In the EAC, press Ctrl+F6 until the primary navigation pane has the focus and you hear "Dashboard, primary navigation link."

  2. Tab to Recipients, and press Enter.

  3. To move to the menu bar, press Ctrl+F6. You hear "Region mailboxes, secondary navigation." (In Narrator, you hear "Mailboxes, secondary navigation link.")

  4. Tab to Shared. You hear "Shared, secondary navigation link." Press Enter.

  5. To move to the toolbar, press Ctrl+F6. You hear "New button." Press Enter.

  6. In the Shared Mailbox dialog box which opens, the Display name text box has the focus, and you hear "Type in text." (In Narrator, you hear "Display name, editing.") Type the display name for the shared mailbox you're creating.

  7. Tab to the Email address text box, and type the email address for the new shared mailbox.

  8. To select the users who can view and send mail from this new shared mailbox, tab to and select the Add button.

  9. When the Select Shared Mailbox Users dialog box opens, the Search box has the focus. You hear "Filter or search edit." Type all or part of the name of the first user you want to add to the shared mailbox and then, to search for the name, press Enter.

  10. Press the Tab key four times until you hear the name of the user in the search results list. The name is selected.

  11. Tab to the Add button, and press Enter or Spacebar. The selected name is added to the list of users for the new shared mailbox.

  12. To add a second user, tab several times until you hear "Filter or search edit." Type all or part of the name of the next user you want to add, and press Enter. Repeat steps 10 and 11. Do this for all users you want to add to the new shared mailbox.

  13. When you finish adding users, tab to the OK button, and press Enter. The Shared Mailbox dialog box has the focus again, and the selected users are listed in the Shared Mailbox Users box.

  14. Tab to the Save button, and press Enter. An alert says "Please wait." After the shared mailbox is created, you hear another alert that says the mailbox will be available in approximately 15 minutes.

  15. With the focus on the OK button, press Enter. The new shared mailbox display name and email address are listed in the shared list view, and it has the focus. Details about the new shared mailbox are listed in the details pane on the right. To review these details, press Ctrl+F6 or the Tab key until the details pane has the focus.