How to set up shared mailboxes for your critical accounts (domains@, billing@, socials@)

Create these five addresses

• admin@ or it@ — tenant admin accounts, cloud consoles, DNS and hosting.
• domains@ — registrar accounts and everything domain-adjacent. Deserves its own box: its mail is rare but never ignorable.
• billing@ — payment platforms, subscriptions, invoices, card-expiry warnings.
• socials@ — the Meta portfolio, LinkedIn, TikTok; the recovery address for every social login.
• legal@ (optional) — compliance notices, trademark and registrar disputes, insurance.

Google Workspace: groups as shared inboxes

1. 1
   Admin console → Directory → Groups → Create group

   Name it (e.g. domains@yourbusiness.com). Groups don't consume a paid licence.
2. 2
   Enable Collaborative Inbox features

   In the group's settings, turn on the Collaborative Inbox features so members can see and manage conversations.
3. 3
   Add at least two members

   The owner plus one other current employee, minimum. Set posting permissions so external senders can reach it — registrars and platforms must be able to email it.
4. 4
   Test from outside

   Send a mail from a personal address and confirm both members see it. An unmonitored shared mailbox is worse than none — it feels safe.

Microsoft 365: shared mailboxes

1. 1
   Admin center → Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes

   Select 'Add a shared mailbox' and name it. Basic shared mailboxes don't require their own licence.
2. 2
   Add members

   Under next steps, add the two-plus people who should see the mail; it appears alongside their own mailbox in Outlook.
3. 3
   Don't enable sign-in on the mailbox account

   Members access it through their own accounts — the shared mailbox itself shouldn't become another password to leak.
4. 4
   Test from outside

   Same rule as Workspace: verify external delivery and visibility before trusting it.

The migration pass: re-point your accounts

1. 1
   Registrar and DNS first

   Change the account email and registrant contact to domains@ — renewal and transfer notices are the highest-stakes mail you receive.
2. 2
   Payments and money

   Stripe/PayPal account emails and billing contacts → billing@.
3. 3
   Social recovery addresses

   Linked/recovery email on each platform → socials@ (keep 2FA on devices that stay with the business).
4. 4
   Everything else as you touch it

   Don't boil the ocean in one sitting — re-point each remaining account the next time you log in, and record the new owner column in your register.