A 5-minute walkthrough of Gmail's built-in delegate access feature. Learn how one Gmail user can grant another Gmail user permission to read, send and delete email from their account without sharing a password, and how the delegate switches between mailboxes via the profile picture menu. Covers personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts, with notes on cross-domain restrictions and Workspace admin settings.
Video Transcript
Hello and welcome to VideoShala. In this video we will show you how to open another mailbox in Gmail using the delegate access feature. Gmail delegate lets one user grant another user permission to read, send and delete email in their account without sharing the password. The delegate cannot change the password and cannot access Drive, Calendar or other Google services from the delegated tab, only Gmail.
To start, sign into the Gmail account whose mailbox you want to share. This is the source account or delegator. Open Gmail in a desktop browser; the mobile app does not support this feature.
Click the gear icon at the top right and click See all settings. Click the Accounts and Import tab in the row of tabs across the top. Scroll down to the section called Grant access to your account. Click Add another account. A small popup window opens. Type the full Gmail address of the person you want to delegate to. Click Next Step. Click Send email to grant access. Gmail sends an invitation email to that address.
Now switch to the delegate account. Sign out and sign back in as the delegate. Open the inbox. Find the email with subject line: Owner Name has granted you access to their Gmail account. Open the email and click the confirmation link inside. The link expires after one week. Click Confirm. Wait up to 30 minutes for delegation to activate.
To open the delegated mailbox, stay signed in as the delegate, click your profile picture in the top right, and click the delegated email address from the drop-down menu. The delegated mailbox opens in a new tab. You can now read, reply and send emails on behalf of the source account. Replies appear from your address with the source account address as on-behalf-of by default. Thanks for watching and please subscribe.
Watch the full video above to see exactly where to click, then follow the written 7 steps underneath.
What you'll see in this video
- Clicking your profile icon in the top right
- Choosing Add another account from the menu
- Signing in with the second Gmail address
- Adding a non-Gmail mailbox in See all settings > Accounts and Import
- Switching between inboxes from the profile icon
Why Use Gmail Delegate Access
Gmail's delegate access feature is the official way for one Gmail user to grant another Gmail user permission to read, send, and delete email in their account. The shared mailbox shows up in the delegate's profile picture menu and opens in a new browser tab when clicked. Common scenarios where delegate access is the right answer: an executive's personal assistant managing the executive's inbox, a sales team rotating shifts on a shared sales@company.com mailbox, a small business owner who is on holiday and wants their colleague to handle email for two weeks, or a job-transition handover where the outgoing employee delegates their account before final access is removed. The feature is built into Gmail itself, no software download or browser extension is needed.
The big advantage over alternatives like sharing a password or forwarding all email is that delegate access does not give up control. The delegate cannot change your password, cannot read or change Drive or Calendar from the delegated tab, and cannot use Google Chat. Gmail's official delegation documentation confirms the boundaries and limits. The delegator can revoke access at any time from the same Settings page where it was granted. If you want to also export the source mailbox locally before delegating, see our Gmail backup guide as a separate step.
Delegate Limits and Concurrency Rules
Save or screenshot this table. These are the official Gmail delegation limits documented by Google.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Max delegates per personal Gmail account | 10 delegates total |
| Max delegates per Workspace account (web UI) | 1,000 delegates total |
| Max delegates per Workspace account (Gmail API) | 25 delegates set programmatically via the settings.delegates resource |
| Concurrent delegate sessions | ~40 delegates can have the mailbox open simultaneously under typical use |
| Invitation expiry | 1 week from the date the invitation email is sent. After that, the delegator must re-grant access. |
| Activation delay | Up to 24 hours per Google docs. Typically activates within 30 minutes. |
| Cross-organization delegation | Not supported for Workspace accounts: source and delegate must be in the same Workspace organization. Personal Gmail can delegate to any Gmail address. |
| Mobile app support | None. Delegate access only shows up on the Gmail desktop web interface, not the iOS or Android Gmail apps. |
| What delegates can do | Read, send, delete email; view and add contacts |
| What delegates cannot do | Change account password, use Google Chat, access Drive/Calendar/other Google services from the delegated tab |
5 Steps to Open Another Mailbox in Gmail
Follow along with the video above as you work through these steps. As shown in the clip, watch the difference between adding a second Google account through the profile icon and adding an external mailbox through Settings.
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Sign into the source Gmail account in a desktop browser. The source account is the one whose mailbox you want to share (also called the delegator). Gmail delegate cannot be set up from the mobile app, so use a laptop or desktop browser. Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari all work.
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Click the gear icon at the top right of Gmail. The quick settings panel slides out from the right. Click See all settings. On the full settings page, click the Accounts and Import tab (or Accounts tab on Workspace accounts) in the row of tabs across the top.
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Scroll down to the section titled Grant access to your account. Click Add another account. A small popup window opens. Type the full Gmail address of the person you want to delegate to, then click Next Step. Confirm by clicking Send email to grant access. Gmail sends an invitation email to that address. You can also choose whether conversations are marked read or unread when delegates open them.
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On the delegate account, accept the invitation. Sign out of the source account and sign in as the delegate. Open the inbox. Find the email with subject line: Owner Name has granted you access to their Gmail account. Open it and click the confirmation link inside. The link expires after one week. Click Confirm on the page that opens. Wait up to 30 minutes for delegation to activate (Google docs say up to 24 hours but it is usually much faster).
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Open the delegated mailbox via the profile picture menu. Stay signed in as the delegate. Click your profile picture (or initial circle) in the top right of Gmail. A drop-down menu appears showing all signed-in accounts plus delegated accounts marked with (delegated) after the email address. Click the delegated account. A new browser tab opens displaying the delegated mailbox. You can now read, reply, and send emails on behalf of the source account.
Common Issues and Their Fixes
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| "Add another account" link is missing | You are on a Google Workspace account where mail delegation is disabled at the org level. Ask your IT administrator to enable it from admin.google.com > Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > User Settings > Mail delegation. Personal Gmail accounts always show this option. |
| Cannot add a delegate from another Workspace domain | Workspace delegation is restricted to the same Workspace organization, even across separate domains owned by the same company. For example, the University of Minnesota cannot delegate across its Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester campus Workspace domains because each campus has a separate Google Workspace tenant. The Workspace admin can confirm whether two domains share a tenant. |
| "Add another account" option in the popup is greyed out | Either the delegate email address is invalid, or 2-Step Verification is required to make the change and you have not finished verifying. Confirm the delegate address is exactly right (no typos), confirm 2FA challenge if prompted, then retry. |
| Delegate accepted the invitation but the mailbox is not appearing | Wait up to 30 minutes for delegation to propagate. After waiting, ask the delegate to fully sign out of all Google accounts and sign back in as the delegate. The Profile picture menu rebuilds delegate visibility on each fresh sign-in. |
| Invitation email never arrived | Check the delegate's Spam folder. The invitation usually comes from noreply-googleaccounts@google.com. If still missing after 10 minutes, the delegator should revoke from Settings and re-grant access; this generates a fresh invitation. |
| Invitation link says "expired" | Invitations expire after exactly 7 days. The delegator must remove the previous (still pending) delegation from Settings, then re-add the same email. A new invitation goes out with a fresh 7-day window. |
| Replies show "on behalf of" and the customer thinks I am not the right person | By default Gmail shows both the delegate's address and the source account address in the From line. The Workspace admin can change this in Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > User Settings > Mail delegation > Sender information shown to recipient, switching to "Show owner address only". Personal Gmail cannot hide the on-behalf-of header. |
| Delegate cannot use mobile Gmail app | Gmail delegate is desktop-only by design. The Gmail iOS and Android apps do not show delegated mailboxes. Workarounds: (1) set up the source account as a forward to the delegate's address, (2) configure both accounts as IMAP in the phone Mail app using app passwords, or (3) use Gmail web in mobile browser desktop mode (clunky). |
| Random connection failures from heavy use | Gmail allows ~40 simultaneous delegate sessions per account. Heavy use by browser extensions, APIs or many delegates accessing at once can reduce this. Disconnect unused tabs and ask delegates to close the delegated tab when not actively using it. |
Personal Gmail vs Google Workspace: Key Delegation Differences
| Aspect | Personal Gmail vs Workspace |
|---|---|
| Max delegates | Personal: 10 max. Workspace: 1,000 via web UI; 25 via Gmail API. |
| Cross-account delegation | Personal: any Gmail address can be a delegate. Workspace: must be in the same Workspace organization. |
| Admin gating | Personal: no gate, you control your own delegates. Workspace: admin must enable mail delegation for the organizational unit at admin.google.com. |
| Sender address shown to recipient | Personal: always shows both addresses (delegate on behalf of owner). Workspace: admin can switch to owner-only address display via User Settings. |
| Group delegation | Personal: only individuals can be delegates. Workspace: a Google Group can be delegated as a single delegate, giving access to every group member at once. |
| Audit logging | Personal: no admin-visible audit trail of who accessed the mailbox. Workspace: admin can view delegate access via the Gmail audit log in admin console. |
| Programmatic management | Personal: web UI only. Workspace: Gmail API settings.delegates resource can create, list, and remove delegates with domain-wide delegation. |
Delegate Access vs Other Gmail Sharing Methods
| Method | When to use |
|---|---|
| Delegate access (this video) | Long-term shared mailbox, assistant managing executive email, team rotating shifts on a support address. The default choice when both parties are Gmail users. |
| Email forwarding | One-way copy of new mail to another address. Use when the second party only needs to see new email going forward, not the existing archive, and never needs to reply from the source account address. |
| Send mail as (Settings > Accounts and Import) | Lets the delegate send mail FROM the source account address from their own inbox, without seeing source mail. Combine with forwarding to get a basic share-without-delegation workflow. |
| Workspace shared inbox via Google Groups | For team-wide mailboxes (sales, support, info). Better than individual delegation when 5+ people share one address; everyone in the group sees and replies to mail from their own account. |
| Add another Gmail account to the same browser | Just Add account in the profile menu. Useful for switching between two of your own Gmail accounts but does NOT give one access to the other; each is signed in independently. |
| Sharing the Gmail password directly | Never do this. Password sharing breaks 2-Step Verification, removes audit trail, and gives full Drive/Calendar/Pay/Photos access to the other person. Use delegation instead. |
Real Use Cases for Gmail Delegation
A few scenarios where delegation is the right tool, drawn from common workflows:
| Scenario | Recommended setup |
|---|---|
| Executive assistant managing a senior leader's mailbox | Senior leader (delegator) adds the assistant (delegate) as one delegate. Assistant opens the mailbox via profile menu, replies on behalf of the leader. Workspace admin should configure the sender display to "owner address only" so external recipients see replies as coming from the leader. |
| Sales team handling a shared sales@company.com inbox | Workspace admin creates a Google Group containing the sales team, then adds the group as a single delegate of the sales@ mailbox. Each sales rep signs into their own account and sees the shared inbox in their profile menu. Audit trail attaches each reply to the actual rep. |
| Job transition handover | Outgoing employee adds the incoming colleague as a delegate before their last day. Incoming colleague has 7 days to accept. After the outgoing employee's account is offboarded, Workspace admin transfers ownership of the mailbox formally. |
| Departmental support address | IT/department creates a dedicated Workspace user for support@dept.com with no human user. Admin or owner adds each support staff member as delegates. The staff sign in as themselves and access the support mailbox via profile menu. |
| Personal: spouse helping manage a small business inbox | Business owner (personal Gmail) adds spouse (also personal Gmail) as a delegate. Spouse can read, reply, and delete on behalf of business but cannot change password or see Drive/Photos. |
Security and Privacy Considerations
Delegation is more secure than password sharing because the delegator keeps password ownership, two-step verification stays attached to the delegator's account, and the delegate cannot escalate their access. That said, every delegate has full read access to every email in the mailbox, including past sensitive correspondence (banking, medical, OTPs, financial statements). Treat delegate addition like granting administrative access to a filing cabinet of decades of personal records: only delegate to people you trust completely. Some practical guardrails: (1) Periodically review the delegate list in Settings > Accounts and Import > Grant access to your account and remove anyone no longer needed. (2) For Workspace, ask your admin to enable Gmail audit logging so you can see when delegates access the mailbox. (3) When a delegate leaves the company or your personal life, revoke their delegation immediately by clicking Delete next to their address in Settings; the change takes effect within minutes. (4) If you ever notice a delegate you did not add, change your password immediately and contact Google support, since unauthorised delegation is a known indicator of account compromise.
đź’ˇ Pro tips
- Set up delegation from a desktop browser, not a mobile browser. The mobile UI hides the option even in desktop mode.
- Send the invitation when the delegate is online. Tell them to expect the email with subject line "Owner Name has granted you access to their Gmail account" so they do not miss it in spam.
- Add a Gmail theme to one of the two accounts so the delegate can visually tell at a glance which mailbox they are looking at. Settings > Themes > pick a coloured background.
- Do not bookmark the delegated mailbox URL directly. The URL changes between sessions. Always access via the profile picture menu so the link is current.
- Workspace admins: turn on Gmail delegation per organizational unit, not org-wide. This contains the blast radius if a delegate account is compromised.
- Workspace admins: for shared-team mailboxes, prefer Google Groups as a single delegate over adding 10 individuals. Easier audit and easier offboarding.
- For long handovers, back up the source mailbox first using our Gmail backup guide as a permanent local copy before delegating.
- Revoke unused delegations at least once every 6 months. Settings > Accounts and Import > Grant access to your account > click Delete next to addresses you no longer need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gmail delegate access?
Gmail delegate access lets one Gmail user grant another Gmail user permission to read, send, and delete emails in their account, plus view and add contacts, without sharing their password. The person granting access is the delegator and the person receiving access is the delegate. The delegate cannot change the delegator account password, cannot use Google Chat, and cannot access other Google services like Drive or Calendar from the delegated tab. When the delegate sends a message, both addresses appear in the From field by default unless the Workspace admin overrides this. See Google's official documentation for the full feature description.
How many delegates can a Gmail account have?
A personal @gmail.com account can have up to 10 delegates. A Google Workspace work or school account can have up to 1,000 delegates set via the web UI. With typical use, around 40 delegates can access the same Gmail account at the same time. The Gmail API caps automated delegate-creation at 25 per account. Heavy use by browser extensions or automation may reduce the concurrent-access limit.
Can I delegate Gmail across organizations or domains?
It depends on the account types. Personal Gmail accounts can delegate to any Gmail or Workspace address, no restrictions. Google Workspace accounts can ONLY delegate to other accounts inside the same Workspace organization, even if both accounts belong to the same parent company across different campuses or subsidiaries. For example, a US-based university with separate Workspace domains for different campuses cannot delegate across campuses unless the Workspace admin merges them.
Why do I not see the Add another account option?
Two common causes. First, you opened Gmail on a mobile browser or in the Gmail app. Delegation can only be set up from a desktop browser; the mobile UI hides the option. Second, you are on a Google Workspace account where the administrator has disabled mail delegation for your organizational unit. Contact your Workspace admin and ask them to enable delegation under Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > User Settings > Mail delegation.
When the delegate sends email, whose address appears?
By default on Workspace accounts, both addresses appear: the From line shows delegate@org.com on behalf of owner@org.com. The Workspace admin can change this in Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail > User Settings > Mail delegation > Sender information shown to the recipient. They can switch to showing only the owner address (so replies look like they came from the owner). On personal Gmail accounts the delegate address always appears alongside the owner address; this cannot be hidden.
Do delegated mailboxes appear in the Gmail mobile app?
No. The Gmail mobile app does not show delegated mailboxes. Delegate access is desktop-browser-only. If you need mobile access to a shared mailbox on the go, the alternatives are: (1) set up a forwarding rule from the source mailbox to your personal address; (2) configure both accounts as separate IMAP accounts in your phone Mail app using app passwords on each (see our Gmail app password guide); or (3) use the Gmail mobile app via a mobile browser in desktop mode (clunky and not officially supported).