Users & permissions
This page explains who can use MailDesk and who can see which mailbox. There are two parts:
This page explains who can use MailDesk and who can see which mailbox. There are two parts:
- The two MailDesk access groups — they decide whether a person can use MailDesk at all, and whether they can configure it.
- Per-mailbox access — for each shared mailbox you choose exactly which users may see and use it.
Available in: the MailDesk engine (Basic), so it works the same whether you run Basic or Pro. The access groups and the per-mailbox access list are part of the engine; Pro features such as AI and signatures respect them without any extra setup.
The two access groups
MailDesk adds two access groups under the MailDesk category in Odoo (Settings → Users & Companies → Users → [user] → Access Rights):
| Group | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Mailbox User | Use MailDesk: open the inbox, read and reply, organise with folders and tags, and work in the mailboxes that have been shared with them. They cannot connect new mailboxes or change MailDesk configuration. |
| Mailbox Admin | Everything a Mailbox User can do, plus the configuration side: connect and edit mailbox accounts, manage who has access to each mailbox, and reach the Configuration menus. |
Admin includes User
A Mailbox Admin is automatically also a Mailbox User — you do not assign both. Give everyday users the Mailbox User group, and give the people who set up and manage mailboxes the Mailbox Admin group.
The Configuration menu is for administrators
The MailDesk → Configuration menus (including Mailboxes → Mailbox Accounts) are visible only to Mailbox Admins. Mailbox Users see the MailDesk inbox, but not the configuration.
Assign a group to a user
- Go to Settings → Users & Companies → Users and open the user.
- On the Access Rights tab, find the MailDesk section.
- Set the MailDesk role to Mailbox User for everyday use, or Mailbox Admin for someone who manages mailboxes.
- Save.
Who sees which mailbox
Having the Mailbox User group lets a person use MailDesk, but it does not automatically show them every
mailbox. Each mailbox account has its own access list, so a shared mailbox (for example support@ or
info@) is visible only to the users you choose.
This is controlled on the mailbox account by the Users with Access field. A regular Mailbox User only ever sees mailbox accounts where they appear in that list — together with the folders, messages, drafts, and tags belonging to those mailboxes. A Mailbox Admin sees and can manage all mailbox accounts.
Personal vs shared mailboxes
For a personal mailbox, you typically add just its owner to Users with Access. For a shared mailbox, mark it as a Shared Mailbox and add every team member who should work in it. Everyone on the access list sees the same mail, so a team can answer a shared inbox together.
Set who can access a mailbox
- Go to MailDesk → Configuration → Mailboxes → Mailbox Accounts and open the account (this requires the Mailbox Admin group).
- In the Users with Access field, add the Odoo users who should see and use this mailbox.
- For a team inbox, also switch on Shared Mailbox.
- Save.
The change takes effect immediately: users you add can see the mailbox in MailDesk; users you remove can no longer see it or its mail.
Removing a user removes their view of the mail
Taking a user off Users with Access removes their ability to see that mailbox and everything in it. It does not delete any mail — it only changes who can see it. To remove a mailbox entirely, use the dedicated remove flow rather than deleting the account, so that any email already linked to Odoo records is preserved.
How this protects your data
The per-mailbox access list is enforced on the server, by Odoo's record rules — not just hidden in the interface. A Mailbox User can only read mailbox accounts, folders, messages, cached message bodies, read/unread state, drafts, and the import queue that belong to mailboxes they are on the access list for. Mailbox Admins are the exception: they can see and manage everything, which is why the Admin group should be limited to the people who actually administer MailDesk.
There is no separate AI permission group. AI in MailDesk Pro reuses these same two groups, and an AI result is only ever shown for a mailbox you already have access to. Whether AI runs at all is controlled by separate switches, including a per-mailbox Allow AI Features toggle — see What MailDesk AI can and cannot access.