Mailbox Options

Additional Email Address Options in Microsoft 365

If your email is hosted in Microsoft 365 and you need an additional email address, there are several ways this can be set up, depending on how the address will be used.

1. Paid Mailbox (Exchange Mailbox)

A paid mailbox is a full email account which includes email, calendar, and contacts. It can be accessed through Outlook, webmail, and on multiple devices such as computers, tablets, and phones. Some initial setup is required on each device.

Once configured, the mailbox stays fully synchronized. If an email is read, replied to, or deleted on one device, that action is reflected everywhere the mailbox is accessed.

These are often used as individual mailboxes for a single person, but could of course be used by multiple people if manually configured on multiple devices.

A paid mailbox requires a Microsoft 365 subscription.

2. Email Alias (Forwarder)

An email alias is an additional email address that delivers mail into an existing paid mailbox. There is no separate inbox and no subscription fee, but at least one paid mailbox is required.

For example, if your main email is name@company.ca, an alias such as account@company.ca can be added. Emails sent to either address arrive in the same inbox. Messages sent out will always come from the main mailbox address, not the alias.

This is a simple, low-cost option when you only need to receive email at an additional address.

3. Shared Mailbox

A shared mailbox is a separate inbox that multiple users can access. It does not require its own subscription but can only be used by people who already have a paid mailbox.

The shared mailbox is delegated to users and typically appears automatically in Outlook. Everyone with access sees the same inbox and folders. Any action taken by one user—reading, replying, or deleting an email—is immediately visible to all other users accessing the shared mailbox.

Users can also send email from the shared address (for example, payments@company.ca), making it function much like a paid mailbox, but without a separate login.

4. Distribution List

A distribution list is an email address that sends a copy of each incoming message to multiple individual mailboxes. It does not have its own inbox and does not store email.

Each recipient receives the message in their own mailbox and manages it independently. What one person does with the email has no effect on anyone else. Distribution lists can be configured to accept internal emails only or emails from outside senders.

There is no subscription cost for a distribution list.

Simple Summary

• Paid mailbox: One person, full features, syncs across all devices

• Email alias: Extra address that delivers mail to an existing inbox

• Shared mailbox: One inbox, many users, fully synchronized

• Distribution list: One address, many recipients, separate copies