How to set up a shared inbox in Gmail

Which Gmail shared inbox option to use

Option 1: set up a Google Groups Collaborative Inbox

1. Create a group in Google Groups (for example support@yourstore.com) and add the team members who will answer emails.
2. Make sure conversation history is turned on for the group; Collaborative Inbox needs it.
3. Open the group, click Group settings on the left, and under Enable additional Google Groups features select Collaborative Inbox.
4. Under Group settings, Posting policies, set Who can moderate metadata to the people who should take, assign and mark emails complete.
5. To work an email: open it and click Take (it's yours) or Assign (enter a teammate's email; they get a notification). When it's answered, click Mark as complete.
6. To see what's left, use the search bar's down arrow and filter by Resolved status: Is unresolved, or Assigned to: Assigned to me.

Option 2: create a shared mailbox in Google Workspace

1. Sign in to the Google Admin console with an administrator account.
2. On the Home page, in the Users section, click Set up a shared email address.
3. Enter the address, for example support@yourstore.com, or the address of an existing account you want to turn into a shared inbox.
4. Add the people who should have access, then click Next. If you skip Next, they're added but don't get access to the shared inbox.
5. Review the list and click Done. Each person opens the shared inbox from the account switcher in their own Gmail.

Good to know about Google Workspace shared mailboxes

• Google lists this for the Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus editions.
• Delegates can read, send and delete emails, and view and add contacts. They can't chat from the account or change its password.
• Each email sent shows the shared address as From and the person who sent it as Sent by, unless you hide that in the shared inbox's settings.
• Mail delegation has to be allowed for your organisation (Admin console, Apps, Google Workspace, Gmail, User settings, Mail delegation).

Option 3: delegate access to a Gmail account

1. On a computer, open Gmail for the account you want to share (you can't add delegates from the Gmail app).
2. Click the settings gear, then See all settings.
3. Open the Accounts and import (or Accounts) tab.
4. In Grant access to your account, click Add another account, enter your teammate's email, then Next step and Send email to grant access.
5. Your teammate accepts the invitation email within a week. It can take up to 24 hours before they can open the inbox.
6. They open it from their profile picture in Gmail, where the account is marked Delegated.

Gmail delegation limits

• Personal @gmail.com accounts can add up to 10 delegates; work or school accounts up to 1,000, with about 40 able to use it at the same time.
• On a work account you can only add people in your own organisation.
• Delegates manage email only: some features, such as Smart Compose, Smart Reply and Gemini in Gmail, aren't available in a delegated inbox.

How to reply as support@ instead of your own address

With a shared mailbox or delegation, replies already come from the shared address. With a Collaborative Inbox, set the group up as a 'Send mail as' address in each person's Gmail so customers see support@, not a personal email:

1. In Google Groups, a group owner or manager opens Group settings, General, and sets Who can post to Anyone on the web (so Gmail's confirmation email can reach the group).
2. In Gmail, go to Settings, See all settings, Accounts, and next to Send mail as click Add another email address. Enter the group address.
3. Open the confirmation email in the group, verify the code, then delete the confirmation message from the group.
4. When replying, choose support@ in the From field.

Tips for running a shared support inbox

• One person owns each email. With a Collaborative Inbox, Take it; with a shared mailbox, agree a simple rule (for example, whoever is on shift that day).
• Use labels such as Order, Return, Wholesale and Urgent so the right person sees the right emails.
• Save replies you write often as Gmail templates. See our customer service email templates.
• Set a response target, like same business day, and check the unresolved list at the end of each day.
• Turn on a 'we got your email' auto reply so customers know you're on it. See how to set up a Gmail auto reply.

Where a Gmail shared inbox falls short for an online store

• No order details: every 'where is my order?' means switching to Shopify, finding the order and copying the tracking link.
• Email only: questions in Instagram and Facebook comments, DMs and TikTok are in other apps, so the team checks four places.
• No priority: a 'do you have this in size 10?' buying question sits in the same list as newsletters and supplier emails.
• Shared mailboxes and delegation have no assigning, so two people can answer the same customer, or nobody does.

One list for email, comments and DMs

Paperflower connects to Gmail or Google Workspace and puts your support email in one list with your Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments and DMs. On Standard, it sorts every message, puts buying questions first and drafts each reply with the customer's Shopify order, tracking and your shipping policy, so whoever is on support sees what needs an answer and has the reply ready. For email and DMs you press Send; nothing goes out on its own unless you switch that on. Free plans get every message in one list, unsorted, and you write the replies. See how email support works.

How Paperflower is different

Frequently asked questions