# Common scenarios

## Share all emails in an account

Your team needs access to all emails in an account like <support@acme.com>.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Add the account**

Go to **Settings** > **Accounts** and click **Add account**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose shared account**

Select **Yes, share this account** during setup.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select delivery method**

Choose **Team Inbox** (recommended) or **Inbox**.

See [Sharing options](/docs/core-features/connected-accounts/sharing-options.md) for the differences.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
With a shared account, you don't need shared addresses. Shared addresses are for sharing only specific aliases from an account, not the entire account.
{% endhint %}

## Share only a specific alias

You have <admin@acme.com> as a personal account but want to share only emails sent to <help@acme.com> (an alias).

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Connect as personal account**

Go to **Settings** > **Accounts** > **Add account** and connect <admin@acme.com> as a personal account.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add the shared address**

Go to **Settings** > **Organizations** > **Message sharing**.

Click **Add a shared address** and enter <help@acme.com>.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select delivery method**

Choose **Team Inbox** or **Inbox** and select who should receive these emails.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Verify**

Click the link in the verification email sent to <help@acme.com>.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
This doesn't let teammates send from <help@acme.com> automatically. To enable that, [share an alias from your account](https://missiveapp.com/help/share-alias-private-account) or have each teammate add it as an alias on their own account.
{% endhint %}

## Collaborate on Google Group emails

<help@acme.com> is a Google Group that forwards to everyone on your team.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Connect personal accounts**

Each team member connects their personal Gmail account (the one receiving Google Group forwards).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add shared address**

Go to **Settings** > **Organizations** > **Message sharing**.

Click **Add a shared address** and enter <help@acme.com>.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Skip auto-sharing**

Don't select anyone to auto-share with. Users already receive these emails in their personal accounts.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Verify**

Each user clicks the link in the verification email.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add alias for sending (optional)**

If teammates need to send from <help@acme.com>, each adds it as an alias on their personal account.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

See [Google Group address](/docs/core-features/connected-accounts/email-accounts/gmail-google-workspace/google-group-address.md) for detailed setup.

## Ad-hoc collaboration with mentions

You don't want automatic sharing. You just want to collaborate on specific emails when needed.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Open the conversation**

Find the email you want to share.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Mention teammates**

Type **@** in the comment composer and select the teammate you want to share with.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**They get access**

Your teammate can now see the conversation and collaborate with you.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

You can remove access later if needed.

## Auto-share emails from specific senders

Your account is personal, but you want to automatically share emails from certain senders (like a vendor).

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Connect as personal account**

Go to **Settings** > **Accounts** > **Add account** and connect your email as a personal account.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Create a rule**

Go to **Settings** > **Rules** and create a new **personal** rule.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add condition**

Set the condition: **From is** <vendor@company.com>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add action**

Choose an action:

* **Move to team inbox** to share with a team
* **Assign user(s)** to share with specific people
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

## Temporarily share access during leave

A team member is going on leave and you need to monitor their inbox while they're away.

**Option 1: Share as team inbox (appears separately in sidebar)**

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Share the account**

The team member opens **Settings** > **Accounts**, selects their account, and clicks the **Share this account** button.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select Team Inbox**

Choose **Team Inbox** and select an existing team or create a new one.

This makes the inbox appear as a separate item in the sidebar, keeping emails separate from your personal inbox.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Make private again later**

When the team member returns, they open **Settings** > **Accounts**, select the account, and click **Edit sharing**, then **Make account private**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

**Option 2: Share as personal account with auto-archive**

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Share the account**

The team member opens **Settings** > **Accounts**, selects their account, and clicks the **Share this account** button.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select Inbox sharing**

Choose **Inbox** as the delivery method.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Configure recipients**

Select who needs access:

* Users in **Inbox** section will see new emails in their personal Inbox
* Users in **Auto-archive** section can access all emails via the **All** mailbox without notifications

Auto-archive is useful when you want access to search and review emails without being notified for every new message.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Make private again later**

When the team member returns, they open **Settings** > **Accounts**, select the account, and click **Edit sharing**, then **Make account private**.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Auto-collaborate when both you and a teammate are recipients

You want to automatically share emails when both <claire@acme.com> and <hubert@acme.com> are recipients.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Connect personal accounts**

Each user connects their email as a **personal account**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add shared addresses**

Go to **Settings** > **Organizations** > **Message sharing**.

Add shared addresses for both <claire@acme.com> and <hubert@acme.com>.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Don't select auto-share recipients**

Leave the sharing selection empty. This means:

* Emails to only Claire stay private to Claire
* Emails to only Hubert stay private to Hubert
* Emails to both Claire and Hubert are automatically shared between them
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Verify**

Each user clicks the link in their verification email.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}


---

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