How to Set Up Shared Mailboxes in Google Workspace (2026 Guide)

If your team uses Google Workspace, you've probably run into the shared mailbox problem: multiple people need to manage emails sent to an address like support@, sales@, or info@yourcompany.com — but Google Workspace doesn't have a built-in shared inbox feature.

The good news? You can turn any Google Group into a fully functional shared mailbox using Sharebox. Here's how.

What is a shared mailbox?

A shared mailbox lets multiple team members access, read, and manage emails sent to a single address. Unlike forwarding (which creates duplicates) or delegated access (which is limited to one person), a shared mailbox gives the whole team visibility into who's handling what.

Key features of a shared mailbox:

• Everyone sees all emails sent to the shared address
• Assign emails to specific team members
• Track status (new, in progress, resolved)
• No duplicate replies — the team knows who's handling each message
• Works alongside personal email without mixing the two

The Google Groups approach

Google Workspace includes Google Groups, which can act as a distribution list or collaborative inbox. When you create a group like support@yourcompany.com, emails sent to that address are delivered to all group members.

Google Groups gives you the distribution part — but it's missing the management layer:

• No way to assign emails to specific people
• No status tracking
• No visibility into who's handling what
• Basic web interface, not integrated into Gmail

This is where Sharebox comes in.

Setting up a shared mailbox with Sharebox

Step 1: Create a Google Group (if you don't have one)

1. Go to the Google Admin Console
2. Navigate to Directory → Groups
3. Click Create group
4. Set the name (e.g., "Support") and email (e.g., support@yourcompany.com)
5. Add your team members to the group
6. Click Create

If you already have a Google Group for your shared address, skip this step.

Step 2: Install Sharebox

1. Go to the Google Workspace Marketplace
2. Search for Sharebox (or ask your Google Workspace admin to install it)
3. Click Install and authorize for your organization
4. Sign in to the Sharebox dashboard at app.getsharebox.io

Step 3: Complete Domain-Wide Delegation

Sharebox uses Google's Domain-Wide Delegation (DWD) to securely access your group's emails on behalf of your team. The setup wizard will guide you through this:

1. Open the Google Admin Console → Security → API Controls → Domain-Wide Delegation
2. Add Sharebox's service account with the required OAuth scopes
3. Return to Sharebox and click Verify

This takes about 2 minutes and only needs to be done once.

Step 4: Enable your Google Group as a shared inbox

1. In the Sharebox dashboard, click Add a Sharebox
2. Select your Google Group from the list
3. Click Enable

Sharebox automatically configures the group's collaboration settings and syncs your team members.

Step 5: Deploy the Chrome extension

1. In the Google Admin Console, go to Chrome → Apps & Extensions
2. Add the Sharebox extension and set it to Force install for your organization
3. Your team members will see the Sharebox sidebar in Gmail automatically

That's it. Your team can now open Gmail, click the Sharebox icon in the sidebar, and start assigning and managing shared emails.

How it works day-to-day

Once set up, here's the typical workflow:

1. A customer emails support@yourcompany.com
2. The email appears in the Sharebox sidebar for all team members
3. A team lead assigns the email to a specific person
4. That person changes the status to In Progress while they work on it
5. Once handled, they mark it as Resolved
6. Everyone on the team can see the current status at a glance

No labels. No filters. No "did anyone reply to this?" confusion.

Alternatives to Sharebox

There are other tools for shared inboxes in Gmail:

Sharebox is the only option that works natively with Google Groups without modifying your Gmail with labels or filters.

What about Google's built-in Collaborative Inbox?

Google Groups has a "Collaborative Inbox" setting that adds basic assignment capabilities. However, it's extremely limited:

• Only works in the Google Groups web interface (not in Gmail)
• No real-time sync or team visibility
• Clunky, rarely-updated UI

Sharebox builds on top of Google Groups to provide the management layer that Google's built-in feature lacks — directly inside Gmail where your team already works.

Getting started

Sharebox is free for up to 2 shared inboxes with unlimited team members. No credit card required.

Get started at getsharebox.io — setup takes under 5 minutes.