SECTION A: Create NEW Shared Mailbox

Shard mailbox is a special type of Exchange mailbox. To “inform” Exchange that we want to create a Shared mailbox type, we use the parameter “Shared.”

SECTION B:  Manage permissions – Shared Mailbox

Assign permissions to the Shared Mailbox

Full Access permissions and AutoMap feature

When we assign to a User “Full Access” permission to another user Mailbox (Such as Shared Mailbox in our example), the Mailbox is automatically added to the user’s Outlook mail profile. This feature described as: AutoMap.

In some scenarios, we need to disable the option of AutoMap. For example, a scenario in which we want to enable specific user Full Access permission to multiple Shared mailboxes, but we don’t want that this Shared mailbox will be automatically added to the specific user Outlook profile.

In this case we can add the PowerShell parameter “-AutoMapping $False”

Full Access permissions to a group and the AutoMap feature

When we assign “Full Access” permission to a Group, the AutoMap feature is not “activated” because, the Full Access permission granted to “Group Object,” and not for the “User object” (the group members).

In this case, we will need to instruct each of the group members how to add the “additional Mailbox” manually for the Exchange mailbox which they have “Full access” permission.

To avoid this default behavior, we can use a “little trick,” by using a PowerShell command.
The PowerShell command will “extract” group members to a “user list” and in the next step assigns the Full Access permission separately, for each user (each of the Group members).

Assign SEND AS permissions to the Shared Mailbox

Assign permissions to the Shared Mailbox Calendar

To view the permissions of a specific mailbox folder such as Calendar folder, we need to use a syntax in which we define the mailbox name + the specific Folder name.

Given that the Exchange mailbox is the English language (defined as MailboxRegionalConfiguration), the calendar folder name whom we use is -“calendar.” In case that the Exchange mailbox uses a different Mailbox Regional Configuration, we will need to write the calendar folder name respectively.

View (displays) various types of Mailbox permissions

View (displays) information about FULL ACCESS and SEND AS permissions

The default output of the PowerShell cmdlet Get-MailboxPermission that we use for view Mailbox permissions and the PowerShell cmdlet Get-RecipientPermission that we use for view SEND AS permissions, displays redundant information, that makes it difficult to understand the information about the Exchange mailbox permissions clearly.
For this reason, we add “filter” that removes that redundant information.

Remove permissions – Shared Mailbox

SECTION C:  Convert Mailbox

A Shared mailbox can be converted to a “regular Exchange mailbox” and vice versa.
In a scenario in which we convert Shared mailbox to User mailbox (regular Exchange mailbox), we will need to assign an Office 365 license to the converted mailbox.

SECTION D:  Shared Mailbox specific settings

Set Shared mailbox size

Define the behavior of Shared mailbox and Sent items folder

In a scenario in which we assign the SEND AS permissions to a recipient on a Shared mailbox, when the recipient sent an email on behalf of the Shared mailbox (using his SEND AS permissions) the mail that was sent, will be saved by default, in the Shared mailbox “Sent Items” but a copy of the sent mail, will not save in the mailbox of recipient.

To be able to change this default behavior, we can use the PowerShell parameter – MessageCopyForSentAsEnabled.

SECTION E:  Display + Export information on Shared Mailbox

Getting started with Office 365 PowerShell

PowerShell command syntax – Office 365 | Article series index