Shared Folder won't save correctly in New Outlook, works for Web Outlook

Question

Shared Folder won't save correctly in New Outlook, works for Web Outlook

HB-1788 20

A user is trying to share a single folder to several coworkers. The share permissions have all been applied to a single folder and are provided as a Reviewer (Full Read only) permissions.

Invitees have been trying to add the Shared Folder by following the guides found here: Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook, however we are consistently getting an error that claims that the email account has already been added to Outlook.
This has been verified with three different users, on three different Windows 11 machines. All users are full Standard License accounts and the machines are all Windows 11 Pro.
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The Shared Folder/inbox is evidently being recognised by New Outlook but does not display in the inbox of the invitee.
Notably when Outlook is restarted, the Shared Folder disspears from the 'Shared with me' pannel.
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We've tried waiting for over an hour to see if the permissions will sync correctly, but so far no luck on the New Outlook app. The next step was to wait a full 24 hours to see if this is an issue on Microsoft / Outlooks side.

Fustratingly, the Shared Folder works instantiously on Web Outlook.
When added through the 'Shared with me' menu, the shared folders show up instantly in the Inbox list for the invitee and the Read Only permissions have all been applied correctly. The parent folders are visable but not readable or editable as intendid.
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Is there a step in the process that has been missed? Is this a known fault for the app-based New Outlook?

Thanks in advanced for any assistance!

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Answer 1

Hi @HB-1788,

First of all, thank you for providing such a detailed description of the issue, along with the screenshots. That level of detail is extremely helpful.

I actually tried to reproduce the same scenario in my own test environment, and I observed very similar behavior. The shared folder could be accessed correctly through Outlook on the web, but the experience in the New Outlook desktop app was inconsistent:

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Based on my testing and experience, I am inclined to think this may be a limitation or known behavior within the current New Outlook experience rather than a problem with the folder permissions themselves. The fact that everything works as expected in Outlook on the web suggests that the sharing configuration is likely correct and that the issue may be related to how the New Outlook client processes or synchronizes shared folders.

I spent some additional time researching and testing potential workarounds, and I did find one approach that worked on my side.

After granting the folder permissions, I first added the shared folder through Outlook on the web. The folder appeared successfully there, and I was able to verify that all permissions were applied correctly.

Next, in the New Outlook desktop application, I removed my account from the app and then added it back. After the account was reconnected, Outlook performed a fresh synchronization, and I found that the desktop client started reflecting the same shared folder configuration that was already visible in Outlook on the web.

You may want to give that a try and see whether it produces the same result in your environment.

If the issue persists even after re-adding the account, I recommend contact your admin to opening a support ticket with Microsoft so that a support engineer can investigate the behavior more thoroughly. They have access to backend diagnostics and service-side tools that can help determine whether this is a client issue, a synchronization problem, or a broader service-related concern.

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I would also encourage you to submit feedback directly through Outlook. Reports submitted through the feedback channel are valuable because they help the product team identify issues affecting New Outlook users.

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As this is a user-to-user support forum, I don't have access to the internal tools, backend systems, or permissions required to directly investigate your tenant or collect diagnostic data. What I can do is share my testing results, offer suggestions based on experience, and point you toward the most effective path for further investigation when needed.

Thank you again for taking the time to document the issue so clearly, and for your understanding and openness in considering my suggestions!

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HB-1788 20 Reputation points

2026-07-07T02:42:13.7566667+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply!
Tested the full logout and relogin on both my machine & a second machine, and the shared folders syncronised immediately.

I will still go ahead with contacting Microsoft support and lodge a ticket. This is definitely unintendid behaviour that should be reported. Quite fustrating that a fault like this exists at all!
Anonymous

2026-07-08T08:17:59.5033333+00:00

Hi @HB-1788,

Thank you for the update, and for taking the time to share the results of your testing. I'm glad to hear that the workaround I suggested worked on your end.

I also completely understand your frustration. This does sound like unintended behavior, and I agree that it's worth raising a support ticket with Microsoft so the issue can be properly investigated and documented.

If you do receive any findings, conclusions, or additional information from Microsoft Support, please feel free to come back and share them here with me and other community members. It would be greatly appreciated, as it could help others who may encounter the same problem in the future.

Thank you again for following up and contributing back to the discussion.

Wishing you all the best!