Shared Mailbox deleted and sent items separation

Most of us who has used Shared Mailbox in Microsoft Exchange environment, met with users complaints that emails which they sent a message using the shared mailbox account goes to Sent Items personal mailbox.

This behavior is normal for example when we use Microsoft Outlook with a personal mailbox and automapped shared mailbox. Then when we delete or send message from shared mailbox account, the message goes to a personal recycle bin or sent items.

How can we separate Shared Mailbox deleted and sent items ?

We have two solutions to separate sent and deleted items:

1. Use Microsoft Outlook 2010 and add shared mailbox as normal mailbox account
2. Change windows registry on client computer with different Outlook versions

1. Use Microsoft Outlook 2010 for Shared Mailbox to separate sent and deleted items

When you use Microsoft Outlook and you get permissions to a shared mailbox, this mailbox will be automapped in Outlook.

After setup when you send a message from shared mailbox this message will be saved in sent items of your personal mailbox. This behavior often is unwanted.

To make Outlook 2010 to save all sent items or deleted items from shared mailbox to sent items folder or deleted items folder in shared mailbox you have to add shared mailbox as equivalent mailbox in Outlook.

Close Microsoft Outlook 2010 client, and go to Control Panel, Mail  next in Mail Setup – Outlook window choose:
E-mail Accounts…

Next in Account Settings window choose New…, and select

Manually configure server settings or additional server types

Click Next, select Microsoft Exchange or compatible service
and in next window enter the Exchange Server and User Name (Shared Mailbox name).

After you fill all information select Next and Finish.

2. Change windows registry on client computer with different Outlook version to separate sent and deleted items from shared mailbox

If you don’t use Microsoft Outlook 2010 but 2007 or 2003 and you work with shared mailboxes, you can make a change in windows registry to make Outlook automatically move messages sent or deleted from shared mailbox to the shared mailbox folders not your personal mailbox.

As xx.0 write used Outlook version:

• 14.0 – Microsoft Outlook 2010
• 12.0 – Microsoft Outlook 2007
• 11.0 – Microsoft Outlook 2003

Before you will add or change registry for Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2003 install belowed hotfix:

Microsoft Outlook 2007 install the June 30 2009 hotfix, KB970944

Microsoft Outlook 2003 install the June 18 2008 hotfix KB953803

To move deleted items in the Shared Mailbox Deleted Items folder:

If user has author rights to the shared mailbox and you need to move deleted items to the Deleted Items folder in shared mailbox, then you have to add this key to the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\Options\General
DWORD: DelegateWastebasketStyle
Value: 4 (use shared mailbox's Deleted items)
Value: 8 (use the default deleted items folder)

To move Sent items in the Shared Mailbox Sent Items folder:

Change registry on client windows computer, and add this key to the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\xx.0\Outlook\Preferences
DWORD: DelegateSentItemsStyle
Data Value: 1