How to Create and Manage Gmail Delegate Accounts for Shared Inbox Access

Understanding Gmail Delegation

In a professional environment, it is common for multiple people to need access to a single email account, such as [email protected] or [email protected]. The traditional, flawed approach is to share the password among team members. This creates significant security vulnerabilities, triggers constant two-factor authentication (2FA) challenges, and makes it impossible to track who sent which email.

Google provides a much more secure and manageable solution: Gmail Delegation. This feature allows you to grant another Google account (the delegate) access to read, send, and delete emails on your behalf without ever revealing the password. The delegate simply switches to the shared inbox from within their own Gmail account.

Requirements for Gmail Delegation

Before attempting to set up a delegate, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• Both the primary account and the delegate account must be within the same Google Workspace organisation (if using a business account) or both must be personal Gmail accounts. You cannot delegate a personal @gmail.com account to a Google Workspace account, or vice versa.
• The administrator for your Google Workspace must have the “Mail Delegation” setting enabled in the Google Admin console.
• The account being delegated must not require a password change on its next login.

How to Add a Delegate to Your Gmail Account

To grant someone access to your inbox, you must initiate the process from the account you wish to share.

Step 1: Access Account Settings

1. Sign in to the Gmail account that needs to be shared.
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Select See all settings.
4. Navigate to the Accounts and Import tab (or just Accounts if you are using Google Workspace).

Step 2: Grant Access

1. Scroll down to the section labelled Grant access to your account.
2. Click on the Add another account link. A new window will appear.
3. Enter the email address of the person you want to add as a delegate.
4. Click Next Step.
5. You will be prompted to confirm the action. Click Send email to grant access.

The system will send an invitation to the delegate. They must open the email and click the confirmation link to accept the role. It can take up to 24 hours for the delegation to become fully active after they accept.

How to Configure Delegate Permissions

While you are in the Grant access to your account settings, you can configure how the shared inbox behaves when delegates interact with it.

• Mark as read/unread: Choose whether a conversation is marked as read when a delegate opens it, or if it remains unread for everyone else. Leaving it as unread is usually best for support inboxes so others know the email still requires attention.
• Sender Information: Choose what the recipient sees when a delegate replies. You can have the email appear to come solely from the shared account, or you can have it show as sent by the delegate on behalf of the shared account (e.g. Sent by John Doe on behalf of Support).

How to Access a Delegated Inbox

Once you have accepted an invitation to become a delegate and the propagation time has passed, accessing the shared inbox is seamless.

1. Log in to your own Gmail account.
2. Click your Profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Under your primary account details, you will see a list of accounts you have been granted access to, marked with (delegated).
4. Click on the delegated account.

A new browser tab will open, displaying the shared inbox. You can now read, sort, and reply to emails as if you were logged into the account directly.

How to Remove a Delegate

If a team member leaves or no longer needs access, you should revoke their delegation immediately.

1. Log back into the primary shared account.
2. Navigate to Settings > See all settings > Accounts and Import.
3. Scroll down to Grant access to your account.
4. Find the user in the list and click Delete next to their email address.

The revocation is instantaneous. The user will immediately lose access to the shared inbox, ensuring your data remains secure.