How to “Send on Behalf of” in Outlook?

Outlook is one of the most popular email solutions for businesses. One of its unique features is that a user can send an email on behalf of someone else. For example, a company’s Vice President can send emails on behalf of the President who’s on vacation. This feature enables effective organizational communication even when some staff members aren’t available.

This article will explain how to send an email on behalf of someone using Outlook.

Understanding Outlook’s "Send On Behalf Of" Feature

Outlook allows an email address owner to write and send messages on behalf of another address. This feature is very helpful for corporate communications. The idea is to let an employee communicate on behalf of another employee, whether a superior or subordinate.

This feature keeps the communication chain firm in an organization even when some key employees aren’t available. You don’t want a situation where client-company relationships break down because a senior employee went on vacation or sick leave.

Any email sent on someone’s behalf will be clearly marked as such; the recipient will see a notice that the message is sent “on behalf of” written boldly in the heading.

"Send on Behalf Of" is different from the “Send As” feature, which also allows someone to send an email on someone’s behalf on the backend, but it appears to the recipient like it came directly from that person.

How to Send an Email on Behalf of Someone in Outlook

Step 1: Delegate A User

The first step of sending Outlook emails on someone’s behalf is getting permission to do it. The administrator of your organization’s Microsoft Exchange server must grant the permission, so the first step would be requesting them to do that for you.

The administrator follows these steps:

1. Head to the Users > Active users page in the admin center.

2. Select the name of the user (from whom they plan to give a Send on behalf permission) to open their properties pane.

3. Select Send on behalf of permissions on the Mail tab.

4. Select Add Permissions and choose the name of the user they want to allow to send messages on behalf of this address.

5. Select Add.

The above steps from the administrator give you permission to send emails on another address’s behalf.

At this point, the administrator has done their job. The below steps are for you, the sender.

Step 2: Launch Outlook and Start a New Message

With delegate access set up, it’s time to send a message on behalf of someone else. The first step is launching the Outlook app. You can launch Outlook from a web browser or download the desktop or mobile app from the relevant app store.

Open a new email window by clicking on the New Email button in the ribbon on Outlook ’s top menu. The new email will appear with your address in the "From" field.

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Step 3: Change the "From" Address

Click From in the new email window to expose a dropdown menu. In this menu, choose the address you want to send a message on behalf of. The selected address replaces your main email address in the "From" menu, meaning you ’re ready to send the message on another person’s behalf.

Step 4: Compose and Send the Email

Type in the email you want to send to the recipient, as you usually do. Enter the subject line in the "Subject" field and the text in the message window. You can add attachments along with the text. Once you ’re sure the email is good to go, hit the "Send" button.

When the email gets to the recipient, they’ll see it as coming from your address on behalf of the chosen address, as in the below example:

Conclusion

Sending an email on someone’s behalf is a useful option that Outlook offers. This feature helps maintain the communication chain in an organization. It allows employees to send messages on behalf of their colleagues who may be unavailable at the moment. This way, the company can continue communicating with clients despite some staff being away.

We have explained how to send an email on behalf of someone in the Outlook app. We broke down the steps in a way anyone can easily digest. Follow our procedures, and you shouldn’t have any problem using this feature.

FAQ

What is Outlook’s "Send on Behalf of" Feature?

"Send on Behalf of" is a feature that allows Outlook users to send a message as if it were sent by someone else. It’s helpful when someone needs to send a message from another person’s account, e.g., an employee sending an email on behalf of their boss.

The user first needs permission to send an email on another address’s behalf; that permission comes from the IT administrator managing the organization’s Outlook accounts. Afterwards, the user can compose and send a message on the other person’s behalf.

Will Outlook Let Me Add a Signature to an Email Sent on Someone’s Behalf?

Yes, you can add a signature to an email you send on another address’s behalf. To do that, click Options > Signature. Choose the delegate’s name from the list and type in the signature you want to add to their message. The recipient will see the signature you typed.

Are There Risks Associated with Outlook’s "Send on Behalf of" Feature?

Yes, you must be careful not to include sensitive information when sending a message on someone’s behalf. The message will be regarded as coming from that person, so avoid anything that can compromise them.

Are There Alternatives to Outlook’s "Send on Behalf of" Feature?

Yes, you can choose the "Send As" option, which also lets you send a message on someone’s behalf, but it’ll appear to the recipient like it came directly from that person. The recipient won’t see "on behalf of" notice in the header. Instead, they’ll read it like any email coming from that address.