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Connect Mailbox Access for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365

Mailbox Access gives Paubox API access to your organization's Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mailboxes. You connect it once, and the Paubox features that need it can then be turned on and off individually.

Features that use Mailbox Access

Some Paubox features have to work inside your mailboxes, which can't be done by delivering a message alone. These features require Mailbox Access:

  • Spam folder routing, which files spam, gray mail and promotional messages in the recipient's Junk folder instead of holding them in Paubox quarantine
  • Wrong Recipients Detection, which learns who each sender normally emails and, when a recipient looks like a mistyped or lookalike address, holds delivery to that recipient so the mistake can be caught before the email goes out
  • Security Awareness Training, which places simulated phishing emails directly in each employee's Inbox, so your own email filter doesn't catch them first

If Mailbox Access isn't connected, the settings for these features show "Requires mailbox access" and stay turned off until you connect.

Before you begin

  • You need an admin role in your Paubox dashboard
  • Mailbox Access supports Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Other email platforms aren't supported.
  • You need admin access to your Google Admin console or a Microsoft 365 Global Administrator

NOTE: Mailbox Access is a broad permission. For Google Workspace, the access Paubox needs to file messages includes read, write and delete access to every mailbox in your domain. For Microsoft 365, the permission includes read and write access to mail. Review this with your security or compliance team before you connect. 

How to connect Google Workspace

  1. Log in to your Paubox dashboard
  2. Navigate to Settings > Account and find the Mailbox Access card
  3. Select Google Workspace. The card shows a Client ID and a list of OAuth scopes. Keep this page open.
  4. In a new tab, open the Google Admin console and go to Security > Access and data control > API controls > Domain-wide delegation
  5. Click Add New
  6. Paste the Client ID and OAuth scopes from the Paubox card, then click Authorize
  7. Back in Paubox, enter the email address of a Google admin who has the Admin API Users > Read privilege
  8. Click Connect Mailboxes

How to connect Microsoft 365

  1. Log in to your Paubox dashboard
  2. Navigate to Settings > Account and find the Mailbox Access card
  3. Select Microsoft 365
  4. Have a Global Administrator click Grant Access in Microsoft 365 and approve Paubox for your organization. This is a one-time approval for your whole tenant.
  5. Enter your Tenant ID. You can find it on the Overview page of the Microsoft Entra admin center.
  6. Click Connect Mailboxes

Check your connection status

The Mailbox Access card checks your connection each time you open it and shows one of three statuses.

Connected (green) means Paubox has used the connection successfully. No action is needed.

Not Verified (amber) means Paubox has your connection on file but hasn't confirmed it works yet. For Google Workspace, this can also mean no admin email is on file. Add the admin email if asked, then click Check Connection. Connections set up before status checks were added usually show this status and are often working normally.

Not Connected (red) means Google or Microsoft declined the connection. The card shows the reason and, if the connection worked before, the date it last worked. Fix the issue in your Google Admin console or Microsoft Entra admin center, then click Check Connection.

If the card shows "Could not load mailbox access" or "Showing the last known state," Paubox couldn't refresh the status at that moment. Your connection hasn't necessarily dropped. Refresh the page to try again.

Troubleshooting

When a connection fails, the error message names the specific problem, such as missing domain-wide delegation, an email address without admin privileges, or Microsoft 365 consent that hasn't been granted. Fix the issue it names, then try again.

If the card says "Google Workspace is not available" or "Microsoft 365 is not available," contact Paubox support.