Google Workspace offers five ways for a team to work one email address. They are a shared inbox, a Collaborative Inbox built on a Google Group, Gmail delegation, an email alias, and a shared user account. Groups, aliases and delegation are free and don’t consume a licence.

The short version for anyone choosing quickly. Use a Google Group as a Collaborative Inbox for a support address. Use delegation when one person’s mailbox needs cover, and an alias when nobody needs to read the mail separately.

Correction: Google Does Now Have a Feature Called Shared Inbox

Earlier versions of this page said Google has no shared mailbox product and that you have to improvise with Groups or delegation. That is no longer true.

Google documents an admin feature called shared inbox, and describes it this way:

As a Google Workspace administrator, you can create a mailbox and grant access to it for users in your organization.

Two caveats matter before you go looking for it. Google says the feature is rolling out in phases, and that if you can’t see it yet you should use delegated Gmail accounts instead.

Google lists its supported editions as Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus. The Enterprise editions are absent from that list, and Google doesn’t explain why.

You reach it from the Admin console home page, in the Users section, via Set up a shared email address. Google also documents converting an existing account, including a delegated one, into a shared inbox.

Shared Mailbox vs Distribution List vs Collaborative Inbox vs Delegation

Google publishes no page comparing these options against each other, so here is the comparison built from what Google documents about each one separately.

Option	Who can reply as the address	Where mail is stored	Separate password	Costs a licence
Distribution list, a plain Google Group	Only members granted the “Who can post as group” permission	Copied to each member, per their own subscription setting	No	Google says group addresses are free and don’t count towards licences
Collaborative Inbox, a Group with the mode switched on	Same “Who can post as group” permission	Both the group archive and each member’s own copy	No	Google says group addresses are free and don’t count towards licences
Gmail delegation	The delegate sends, and Google says their address appears	Once, in the owner’s mailbox	No, delegates use their own sign-in	Google says delegation costs nothing extra
Shared inbox, the new admin feature	Users the admin grants access to	Once, in the shared mailbox	No	Google publishes nothing on licensing for it
Shared user account	Anyone holding the password	Once, in that account	Yes	Yes, Google bills for each user account

Google advises against that last row. Its guidance page on the subject says “Google Accounts are intended for use by only one person.”

The licence answer most people came here for

Groups and aliases are free. Google states it plainly in its Workspace setup guidance:

These types of addresses are free and don’t count towards your Google Workspace user licenses.

Google’s own FAQ repeats the point and adds a figure. It says a user is one personalised email address, and that group aliases like support@yourcompany don’t count as users. Google allows up to 30 aliases per user.

Delegation is free too. Google’s billing row for it says you can add up to 1,000 delegates to a single account at no added cost.

A generic user account is the expensive option, because Google bills for every user account you add. Google prices Business Starter at 7 usd per user per month annually, or 8.40 usd flexible. Business Standard is 14 usd and Business Plus 22 usd on annual plans.

What separates a distribution list from a Collaborative Inbox

The dividing line is the Groups for Business service. Google’s documentation shows that with it switched off you still get email and distribution lists, sharing and calendar invites.

Collaborative Inbox is the thing you lose. If you want assignment and resolution tracking on a group address, Groups for Business has to be on.

What Is a Shared Mailbox and How Does It Work in Google Workspace?

Quick Answer: A shared mailbox is an email inbox accessible by multiple people. Each user can log in, read, and respond to messages as if they were the only owner. In Google Workspace, delegates access the shared inbox using their own credentials, no password sharing is needed.

A shared mailbox allows multiple team members to manage a single email address together. Emails sent to that address can be seen, read, and responded to by any authorized team member, which streamlines communication for departments like customer service, sales, and support.

In Google Workspace, you do not need to set up individual login credentials for each user. Instead, each delegate accesses the shared mailbox using their own Google Workspace account credentials. This eliminates the security risks of password sharing while still giving everyone the access they need.

What Are the Ways to Share a Mailbox in Google Workspace?

Quick Answer: The three methods are credential sharing (simplest but not recommended due to security risks), delegating Google mailboxes (recommended, grants access through each user’s own credentials), and using a third-party shared mailbox tool (adds advanced features like ticket assignment and collision detection).

Credential sharing. The simplest approach is giving another person your login credentials so both of you can log into the same account. However, this method is not recommended because it creates security vulnerabilities, makes it impossible to track which user performed which action, and easily leads to duplicated efforts when two people respond to the same email without knowing the other has already done so.

Delegating Google mailboxes. The recommended approach is creating a delegated account. You create an account (or use an existing one) and delegate access to other team members. For example, you could grant limited access to your assistant, who can then help organize emails, follow up with contacts, and manage your inbox, all using their own credentials. Delegates can be added or removed at any time.

Third-party tools. There are many shared mailbox tools that add advanced collaboration features on top of Gmail, including ticket assignment, collision detection (preventing two people from replying to the same email), automated workflows, and conversation status tracking. However, you can also keep things simple and use Google Workspace’s built-in delegation without any third-party tool.

What a Gmail Delegate Can and Cannot Do

A delegate reads, sends and deletes mail in someone else’s account. Google says that when a delegate sends a message, their own email address appears on it.

Google publishes a specific list of what delegates lose. Its summary line is that a delegate can’t chat with anyone or change your password.

The fuller list Google publishes covers fourteen features.

• Google Account settings, Drive attachments, Google Photos and Tasks
• Autocomplete, autocorrect, and spelling and grammar checks
• Chat in Gmail, Meet in Gmail and emoji reactions
• Client-side encryption, Gemini in Gmail, Smart Compose and Smart Reply

Google’s stated reason is worth quoting, because it explains the pattern:

When you delegate access to your inbox, you grant permission to manage your email only. For your security and privacy, features that integrate with non-email services or sensitive Google Account settings aren’t available to delegates.

How many delegates, and the number Google contradicts itself on

Google publishes 10 delegates for a personal Gmail account and 1,000 for a work or school account. It also says 40 delegates can access an account at the same time under typical use.

Google’s Gmail API documentation gives a different number entirely. It says each user can generally have up to 25 delegates and up to 10 delegators.

Treat 1,000 as the administrative ceiling and 40 as the practical one. If you’re building against the API, plan for 25.

Three operational details Google documents and most guides skip.

• Google says a delegation invitation expires after a week.
• Google says it can take up to 24 hours before a delegate can use the account.
• You can’t delegate an alias, because Google says an alias isn’t a Google Account.

One security detail deserves its own line. Google says a delegate can still access the account even after the account password has expired.

What a Collaborative Inbox Adds to a Google Group

Collaborative Inbox turns a group address into something closer to a queue. Google documents taking a conversation, assigning it to someone with an optional note, dropping it, and resolving it.

Google publishes three ways to resolve a conversation: mark it complete, mark it as needing no further action, or mark it as a duplicate. Labels and assignment filters round out the feature set.

Turning it on requires the Owner or Manager role. In Google Groups, open the group, go to Group settings, and under Enable additional Google Groups features select Collaborative Inbox.

Google states one prerequisite plainly: to enable Collaborative Inbox features you must turn on conversation history.

The limits Google publishes for group inboxes

Limit	What Google publishes
Members per group	Google says unlimited
Forwarding and Cc from a Collaborative Inbox	Google says 25 email addresses per message
Inbound rate	Google says 300 emails per 5 minutes
One sender to one group	Google says 1,800 emails per hour
Message size	Google says 25 MB per message
Groups one user can own	Google says 1,500

Hitting a limit doesn’t lock you out permanently. Google says activity is temporarily restricted, typically for an hour, though it can last as long as 24 hours.

How Do You Set Up a Shared Mailbox in Google Workspace?

Quick Answer: Log into the account you want to share, go to Settings > Accounts and Import > “Grant access to your account,” click “Add another account,” enter the delegate’s email, and send the invitation. The delegate accepts the invitation and can access the mailbox using their own credentials within 24 hours.

Follow these steps to create a delegated Google mailbox:

Step 1. Choose an existing email account or create a new one (for example, sales@mycompany.com). Log into that account.

Step 2. Open Gmail and click Settings, then click “See all settings.”

Step 3. Click on the “Accounts and Import” tab.

Step 4. Under “Grant access to your account,” click “Add another account.” If this option is not available, contact your Google Workspace administrator, some organizations restrict access to this feature.

Step 5. Enter the email address of the person you want to add as a delegate. The account must have “Require user to change password at next sign-in” disabled before proceeding.

Step 6. Click “Send email to grant access.” The delegate will receive an email invitation. After they accept, it can take up to 24 hours for access to process. They will be able to access the shared mailbox using their own email credentials, no password sharing is needed.

To remove a delegate at any time, return to the “Grant access to your account” section in Accounts and Import settings.

Why Should a Business Use a Shared Mailbox?

Quick Answer: Shared mailboxes provide easier customer accessibility, team-based communication, visibility for team leaders, collaboration with context on handoffs, fewer duplicated efforts, efficient delegation, faster customer service response, and better shift coverage across time zones.

Easy accessibility for customers and prospects. A single team-facing address like support@company.com is far easier for customers to find and use than searching through 20 individual email addresses to identify the right person. Bundling team members into accessible groups simplifies inbound communication.

Team-based communication. A shared inbox allows team members to function as a unit rather than as isolated individuals. Everyone sees the same conversations, can coordinate responses, and stays aligned on priorities.

Visibility and transparency. Team leaders can see every conversation that unfolds with team members, including both incoming and outgoing messages. This visibility is essential for monitoring individual performance and improving overall team efficiency.

Collaboration and context. When one team member has to leave for the day, someone else can review previous messages in the thread and continue the conversation with full context. This makes handoffs seamless and prevents customers from having to repeat themselves.

Fewer duplicated efforts. Without a shared mailbox, two team members copied on the same email might both jump to resolve an issue without knowing the other is already handling it. In a shared mailbox environment, task visibility reduces this overlap significantly.

Efficient delegation. Shared inboxes allow you to assign emails like tasks, follow up with team members, and mark conversations as resolved. This makes it easier to balance workloads, hand off tasks to specialists, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Faster customer service. If a customer sends an email to an individual team member who is unavailable, they may wait hours for a response. With a shared mailbox, the first available representative can step in immediately, reducing response times and improving customer satisfaction.

Shifts and coverage. Shared mailboxes support 24-hour coverage when team members monitor the inbox in different shifts. This is especially valuable for teams with members in different time zones.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Google Workspace for a Shared Mailbox?

Quick Answer: Pros include easy setup, no training requirement, strong security, configurable user roles, extensive third-party integrations, and scalability. Cons include no built-in email analytics and limited collaboration features compared to dedicated shared inbox platforms.

There are many software solutions for shared mailboxes, including dedicated third-party platforms. Here is how Google Workspace’s built-in options compare.

Pros:

Easy setup. Setting up a delegated mailbox or Collaborative Inbox takes just a few minutes. If you are already familiar with Google Workspace, the process is straightforward.

No additional training. Gmail is intuitive enough that most employees can start using a shared mailbox immediately without specialized training or lengthy onboarding.

High security. Google’s infrastructure provides strong security. Combined with configurable user roles and permissions, you can grant access to everyone who needs it without compromising account security.

Extensive integrations. Gmail is open to third-party apps and integrations, allowing you to customize and extend your shared mailbox setup with additional tools for workflow automation, CRM integration, and more.

Scalability. Google Workspace shared mailboxes work whether your team has three people or operates across international offices. The same delegation structure scales without requiring architectural changes.

Cons:

No built-in email analytics. Gmail does not include a built-in solution for tracking team email activity, including metrics like emails sent and received, average response time, and workload distribution. You need a third-party analytics tool for these insights.

Limited collaboration features. Google Workspace’s shared mailbox options lack some advanced features found in dedicated shared inbox platforms, such as ticket management, collision detection, automated assignment rules, and conversation status tracking.

What Tips Help You Manage a Shared Mailbox Effectively in Google Workspace?

Quick Answer: Train employees on shared mailbox workflows and email security best practices, establish a consistent system for assigning and resolving conversations, and integrate an email analytics solution to track response times, workload balance, and team performance metrics.

Train and educate your employees. Gmail is intuitive, but it is still worth spending time teaching your team how to use shared mailbox workflows effectively, including when to reply, when to assign, and when to escalate. While you are onboarding, make sure to cover email security best practices as well, since shared access increases the importance of responsible account management.

Establish a system to resolve conversations. Create a consistent process for how team members assign, delegate, and resolve conversations. Everyone needs to follow the same system, whether that means using labels to mark status, assigning ownership through comments, or using a naming convention for resolved threads. Without a coherent system, shared inboxes can become disorganized quickly.

Integrate an email analytics solution. To get the most out of a shared mailbox, track objective data about your team’s performance. Key questions to answer include how efficiently employees are working, what their biggest obstacles are, and how balanced workload distributions are. These insights require a third-party analytics tool that can track email metrics like emails sent and received, top senders and recipients, average response time, and thread length.

Best Practices for a Shared Inbox, and the Gap in Google’s Documentation

Google publishes no best-practices page for shared inboxes or Collaborative Inboxes. It does publish best-practices pages for target-audience deployment, admin account security and Meet, so the omission here stands out.

What Google does publish sits in its Learning Center tips. Its technical-support page suggests adding support staff as delegates so replies come from a support alias rather than an individual address.

So the operational guidance below is ours, anchored to the permission names and limits Google does document.

• Set the moderation permissions deliberately. Google splits these into “Who can moderate metadata,” which governs assignment, and “Who can moderate content,” which governs deletion and locking.
• Turn conversation history on before anything else. Google requires it for Collaborative Inbox, and posts added while it was off stay out of the archive.
• Control joining. Google’s own suggested settings recommend turning Directly add members on so you control who joins.
• Watch the 40-delegate practical ceiling. Google’s 1,000 figure is administrative, and its performance guidance is far lower.
• Don’t route a shared address through a shared password. Google advises against sharing accounts, and delegation gives you per-person attribution instead.

Where Google’s Own Documentation Disagrees With Itself

Five contradictions surfaced while checking this page. All five were live on 12 August 2026.

1. Three delegate limits. Google publishes 1,000 as the cap, 40 as the recommended maximum, and 25 in its Gmail API guidance. Those cannot all be the ceiling.
2. Where you configure Collaborative Inbox. One Google table marks it as an Admin console task, and a later row on the same page marks it Google Groups only.
3. Group creation limits. Google’s limits table says group creation is unlimited, one row above saying a user can own at most 1,500 groups.
4. Are delegated accounts and shared inboxes the same? One Google page says they are the same in Gmail. Another documents converting a delegated account into a shared inbox.
5. Don’t share accounts, except here. Google warns that accounts are meant for one person, then ships an admin feature for shared mailboxes.

How Google’s Approach Differs From a Microsoft Shared Mailbox

Microsoft has a product literally called a shared mailbox, which is why the vocabulary confuses people moving between the two.

Microsoft says a shared mailbox stores up to 50 GB without a licence. Reaching 100 GB requires an Exchange Online Plan 2 licence. Microsoft also says the mailbox itself needs no licence, though each user accessing it does.

The sharpest difference is capacity. Microsoft says a shared mailbox supports a maximum of 25 users, while Google says group membership is unlimited.

Microsoft names two more limits Google has no equivalent for. Microsoft says you can’t give people outside your business access to a shared mailbox. It also says mail from one can’t be encrypted, because the mailbox has no security context.

What Google Documents About Shared Mailboxes, and What It Doesn’t

Question	Status	What Google publishes
A product called shared mailbox	Renamed	Google calls its feature a shared inbox, and it is rolling out in phases.
Do groups and aliases cost a licence	Documented	Google says these addresses are free and don’t count towards user licences.
Maximum members on a group inbox	Documented	Google says total membership per group is unlimited.
Recommended team size for a shared inbox	Not documented	Google publishes no recommended number of people for a shared inbox.
Response-time or SLA guidance	Not documented	Google publishes service availability targets and no guidance for your team.
Best practices for collaborative inboxes	Not documented	Google publishes best-practices pages for other topics and none for this one.
An audit event for granting delegation	Not documented	Google logs delegated activity in Gmail log events and not the grant itself.

That last row matters if anyone audits you. Google logs what a delegate did, and publishes no audit event for the moment access was granted or revoked.

A shared address only works if somebody answers it. Our study of response times across 22 sectors puts the average work-hours reply at 4 hours 10 minutes. A support inbox should be beating that.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Workspace Shared Mailboxes

What is a shared mailbox in Google Workspace?

A shared mailbox is an email inbox that multiple people can access simultaneously. Each user can log in, read, and respond to messages independently. In Google Workspace, delegates access the shared inbox using their own credentials, no password sharing is required. Shared mailboxes are commonly used for team-facing addresses like support@company.com or sales@company.com.

How do you set up a shared mailbox in Google Workspace?

Log into the account you want to share, go to Settings > “See all settings” > Accounts and Import tab > “Grant access to your account” > “Add another account.” Enter the delegate’s email address and send the invitation. The delegate accepts the invitation and can access the mailbox within 24 hours using their own credentials. See Google’s official guide on creating a delegated mailbox for full details.

What are the ways to share a mailbox in Google Workspace?

The three methods are credential sharing (giving someone your password, not recommended), delegating Google mailboxes (granting access through each user’s own credentials, recommended), and using a third-party shared mailbox tool (adds advanced features like ticket assignment and collision detection).

Do delegates need a separate password for a Google Workspace shared mailbox?

No. Delegates access the shared mailbox using their own individual Google Workspace account credentials. There is no need to share the account password. This is a key security advantage of using Google Workspace delegation over simple credential sharing.

What are the advantages of using Google Workspace for a shared mailbox?

The main advantages are easy setup (a few minutes), no additional training needed, strong security with configurable user roles and permissions, extensive third-party app integrations, and scalability from small teams to international organizations.

What are the limitations of Google Workspace shared mailboxes?

The main limitations are no built-in email analytics (you need a third-party tool to track response times, email volume, and workload distribution) and limited collaboration features compared to dedicated shared inbox platforms that offer ticket management, collision detection, and automated assignment rules.

Can you remove a delegate from a Google Workspace shared mailbox?

Yes. You can remove delegates at any time from the “Grant access to your account” section under the Accounts and Import tab in Gmail Settings, the same location where you originally added them.

Why would a business use a shared mailbox instead of individual email accounts?

Shared mailboxes provide easier accessibility for customers, team-based communication, visibility for managers into all conversations, seamless handoffs with full context, fewer duplicated efforts, more efficient delegation, faster customer service (first available rep responds), and better shift coverage across time zones.

What is the difference between a shared mailbox and a distribution list in Google Workspace?

A distribution list is a plain Google Group that copies each message to every member’s own mailbox. A shared mailbox keeps one copy that several people work from, which in Google Workspace means a Collaborative Inbox, Gmail delegation, or Google’s newer shared inbox feature. Only the Collaborative Inbox adds assignment and resolution tracking.

Does a Google Workspace shared mailbox cost a licence?

Google says group addresses and email aliases are free and don’t count towards your Google Workspace user licences. Gmail delegation is also free, with Google allowing up to 1,000 delegates per account at no added cost. A shared user account does cost a licence, because Google bills for every user account.

Does Google Workspace have a shared inbox feature?

Yes. Google documents an admin feature called shared inbox that lets an administrator create a mailbox and grant access to users in the organisation. Google says it is rolling out in phases and lists it for Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus.

How many people can use a Google Workspace shared mailbox?

Google says total membership per group is unlimited, so a Collaborative Inbox has no published member cap. For Gmail delegation Google publishes 1,000 delegates per account, and says 40 can use it at the same time under typical use. Microsoft caps its own shared mailbox at 25 users by comparison.