shipmail

How to create a shared inbox in shipmail

A shared inbox lets multiple team members read, reply to, and manage email from a single address. Create one mailbox, share the credentials, and everyone sees the same inbox.

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1. Create the shared mailbox

  1. Go to the Mailboxes page in your dashboard.
  2. Click Create mailbox and enter the local part you want (e.g., "support", "hello", "billing").
  3. Select the verified domain.
  4. Set a password. This is the password everyone on the team will use to access the mailbox.
  5. Optionally set a display name (e.g., "Acme Support") that will appear in the From header of outgoing email.

2. Grant access to your team

  1. For dashboard access, invite teammates from Settings > Team and select the mailbox they can open before sending the invite.
  2. For email client access, give each team member the full email address and password.
  3. Each person can connect the mailbox in their own email client using the standard IMAP/SMTP settings.

3. Connect in email clients

  1. Each team member adds the shared mailbox as a new account in their email client (Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook, etc.).
  2. Use mx1.shipmail.to for both incoming (IMAP, port 993, SSL/TLS) and outgoing (SMTP, port 465, SSL/TLS) servers.
  3. If a client explicitly asks for STARTTLS for outgoing mail, use SMTP port 587 instead.
  4. The username is the full shared email address.

Common use cases

support@

Customer support inbox. Multiple team members can read and respond to customer issues from the same address.

hello@

General inquiries. A shared front door for your company that anyone on the team can monitor.

billing@

Payment and invoice inquiries. Finance team members can collaborate on billing questions.

jobs@

Hiring inbox. Multiple people involved in recruiting can review applications from one address.

Tips for managing shared inboxes

Use a descriptive display name

Set the display name to something recipients will recognize, like "Acme Support" or "Acme Billing". This appears in the From field and helps recipients identify your team.

Assign conversations

Use the assignment control in the conversation pane to show who is handling a thread. The assignee appears in the message list, and the inbox can be filtered to Mine or Unassigned.

Leave internal notes

Add private notes on a conversation when the next person needs context. Notes stay inside the dashboard, are not included in replies to the customer, and can be edited or deleted by the teammate who wrote them.

Enable catch-all for flexibility

If you want the shared inbox to also receive email sent to any unmatched address on the domain, enable catch-all on the shared mailbox.

Use Sieve filters for routing

Set up server-side Sieve filters to automatically sort incoming email into folders based on subject line, sender, or keywords. This helps team members find relevant messages faster.

Rotate the password periodically

When a team member leaves, reset the shared mailbox password from the dashboard and share the new password with remaining team members.

Compare shared-inbox email hosts

If you are comparing shared inboxes with domain-heavy email hosting, read the Shipmail vs Migadu pricing comparison to see when Migadu Micro is enough and when a small team should choose Shipmail.

Frequently asked questions

Does each team member need their own shipmail account?

For dashboard access, yes. Invite them from Settings > Team and choose the mailboxes they can open. For email client access, no. A shared mailbox can still be connected with the shared email address and password.

Can I see who sent a reply from the shared inbox?

All outgoing email from a shared mailbox uses the same From address. In the dashboard, teams can use conversation assignment and internal notes to track who is handling each thread.

What happens when two people reply to the same email?

Both replies are sent. To avoid duplicate replies in the dashboard, assign the conversation before handling it and check the thread notes for context. Email clients connected over IMAP still share the sent folder.

Does a shared mailbox count as one mailbox or multiple?

A shared mailbox counts as one mailbox toward your plan limit, regardless of how many people access it.

Can I set different permissions for different team members?

Yes, for dashboard access. Owners choose which mailboxes each non-owner can open, including when sending the invite. IMAP/SMTP access still uses the mailbox password, so anyone with that password has the same email client access.

What can invited team members see in the dashboard?

Non-owner members can use the inbox, contacts, and analytics for mailboxes they can access. Owners keep organization setup, billing, domains, API keys, webhooks, suppression management, invitations, and mailbox access controls.