Public Folders in Outlook 2003

Accessing a Public Folder | Creating a Public Folder | Granting Access to a Public Folder & Setting Permissions

Unlike Private folders (mailboxes), Public folders are Outlook folders that are used to share information with others. For instance, you might use a public folder for a departmental calendar, a message board, or a variety of other collaborative applications.

Public folders are stored on the Hawkmail Server. These folders can be used to share information with the entire campus or within your department or college. Public folders have access permissions to determine who can view, create, and modify items in the folders.

Accessing a Public Folder

1. First you must display your Folder List in Outlook 2003 by clicking on the folder icon on your Navigation Pane. Note: the Mail view of the Navigation Pane does not display Hawkmail public folders.
2. Click on the + next to Public folders to display the subfolders.
3. Click on the + next to the All Public folders to display the subfolders
4. Click on the + next to the Iowa Public folder.
5. You should see a list of Public Folders that you have access to. (e.g., All Organizational Unit Public Folders have been added to Hawkmail). Click on the folder to access it. If there is a folder and no + or - next to it, it does not contain subfolders. It may however, contain files or messages.

Creating a Public Folder

Requests for authorization to add a Public Folder need to go through your Hawkmail IT liaison. The liaison would then fill out and submit a public folder request form .

The Hawkmail administrators have created top level folders for each Organizational Unit. Once the administrator has created your Departmental sub-folder you will be given the permissions to create sub-folders for your department, you can do so directly through Outlook.

1. Under your Departmental Public Folder, right-click to create a new public folder.
2. Choose New Folder.
3. In the Name: field, type a name for your new public folder (e.g.,
4. In the Folder contains: field, click on the drop down menu and select the type of folder you want to create. The following options are available:

• Mail and Post Items
• Calendar Items
• Contact Items
• Journal Items
• Note Items
• Task Items

1. Click the OK button.

Note: If you created the folder, you will be able to configure all permissions associated with it (e.g. choose who in your organization has access to that public folder and what their level of access should be).

Granting Access to a Public Folder & Setting Permissions

1. Right-click on the Public Folder you created above.
2. Choose Properties
3. Click on the Permissions tab in the Properties dialog box. (Note: if you didn't create the public folder you won't see a Permissions tab. Instead you will see a Summary tab that lists the various permissions for the folder. You cannot edit permissions on the Summary tab.
4. Click the Add button to display the Add User dialog box.
5. Select the user or users from the GAL (Global Address List) you want to add to your public folder's permissions and click the Add button. Note: This may be a Univeral Security Group or individual(s). If you don't see your Universal Security Group in the GAL, you should contact its-email@uiowa.edu so that we can "mail-enable" the group.
6. Click the OK button to return to the Permissions tab where you can configure each user's permissions.
7. Click on the user you want to set permissions for and then click on the drop down menu by the 'Permission Level:'
8. Select the Permisson level (see options below):
   Permission Level/Permisions:
   • Owner - Can create, read, edit, and delete any item in the folder. An owner can also create sub-folders and modify permissions for all other users of the folder.
   • Publishing Editor - Can create, read, edit, and delete any item in the folder as well as create sub-folders. A publishing editor cannot modify permissions.
   • Editor - Can create, read, edit and delete all items in the folder but cannot create subfolders.
   • Author - Can create, read, edit, and delete their own items, but cannot modify or delete others' items.
   • Publishing Author - Can create and read all items, as well as edit and delete their own items. A publishing author can also create subfolders.
   • Nonediting Author - Can create and read items, but cannot edit any items. A nonediting author can delete only his own items.
   • Contributor - Can create items only.
   • Reviewer - Can read items, but not create or edit items.
   • Custom - Any combination of permissions not explicitly described earlier in this table.
   • None - Cannot view the folder.
9. When you are finished setting permission levels for all users of your public folder, click OK to save your changes and exit the Properties dialog box.

NOTE: On the 'Default' Permission make sure you leave this Permission Level = None and that the Folder Visible check box is not selected.

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