What delegation grants
A mailbox delegate is another account or person authorized to act in part of your inbox. Gmail delegates can read, send and delete mail without learning your password. In work Outlook, delegate permissions can include responding to messages or meeting requests on your behalf, with levels that determine what the delegate can view or edit.
A realistic use
An assistant handles appointment requests during a manager's absence. Delegation can provide that access without sharing the manager's sign-in credentials. When the role ends, the owner or administrator should remove the grant and check whether messages or files were moved into a separate system. Changing the owner's password alone is not the same as reviewing authorized delegates.
How it differs from forwarding
Forwarding sends copies to another address; delegation lets an authorized person operate within the mailbox, subject to its permissions. Google's
Gmail guide lists delegate capabilities and removal steps. Microsoft's
Outlook explanation describes work-account permission levels. Remove an unneeded grant, but coordinate first if a team relies on it for customer responses or record retention.
