Gmail Delegate Access Instructions - End User

This guide explains how to access a Gmail account you've been granted delegate access to. As a delegate, you can read, send, and manage emails on behalf of the account owner.

What Delegates Can Do

As a delegate, you have access to:

• Read emails – View all messages in the inbox and folders
• Send emails – Send messages on behalf of the account owner
• Delete emails – Remove messages from the account
• Organize emails – Apply labels, archive, and move messages
• Manage settings – Modify some account settings

Delegates cannot:

• Change the account password
• Use Google Chat as the account owner
• Use Smart Compose, spelling/grammar checks, or autocorrect

Note – When you take actions in a delegated account (delete, move, mark as read), those changes apply to everyone with access to that account.

Step 1: Accept the Invitation

Before you can access a delegated account, you must accept the invitation:

1. Check your Gmail inbox for an email with subject: "[Owner's name] has granted you access to their Gmail account"
2. Open the email from Google
3. Click the confirmation link to accept

Note – Invitations expire after 7 days. If yours has expired, ask the account owner to send a new one.

Step 2: Access the Delegated Account

1. Go to mail.google.com and sign in to your own account
2. Click your profile picture in the top right corner
3. Look for accounts marked as "Delegated" in the dropdown
4. Click the delegated account to open it in a new tab

Note – If you were recently added as a delegate, it can take up to 24 hours for the account to appear. Try refreshing the page periodically.

Using the Delegated Account

Once you click the delegated account:

• A new browser tab opens with the owner's inbox
• Check the email address at the top to confirm you're in the correct account
• All actions you take affect the owner's account

Sending Emails

When you send an email from a delegated account:

• The email is sent from the owner's email address
• Recipients may see "sent by [your email] on behalf of [owner's email]"
• Replies will go to the owner's inbox

Switching Back to Your Account

To return to your own inbox:

• Close the delegated account tab, or
• Click your profile picture and select your own email address

Best Practices

• Don't bookmark the delegated inbox – The access link can change; always use the account switcher
• Verify which account you're in – Check the email address before sending messages
• Communicate with other delegates – If multiple people have access, coordinate to avoid duplicate work
• Log out when finished – Close the delegated tab when you're done

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Account not appearing	Takes up to 24 hours to activate	Wait and refresh; confirm invitation was accepted
Invitation expired	Not accepted within 7 days	Ask account owner to resend the invitation
"Access denied" error	Owner's password was recently changed	Owner must sign in first, then delegation resumes
Bookmark no longer works	Delegation URLs change	Delete bookmark; use account switcher instead
Can't find invitation email	May be in spam folder	Check spam/junk folder for email from Google
Smart Compose not working	Feature disabled for delegates	This is expected; compose emails manually

Quick Reference

Item	Details
Access Gmail	mail.google.com
Find delegated accounts	Profile picture → Look for "Delegated" label
Activation time	Up to 24 hours after accepting invitation
Invitation expiration	7 days
Max delegates per account	10 (personal) or 1,000 (Google Workspace)