How to share a Gmail account without sharing the password

The short answer

Use Gmail delegation. In Gmail on a computer, open Settings, then Accounts and Import (Accounts on Workspace), and under Grant access to your account, add the person's email. They can read, send, and delete mail but cannot change your password or settings. Personal accounts allow up to 10 delegates and work accounts up to 1,000; on Workspace, an admin must enable it and delegates must be in the same organization. For a team, a shared inbox app like Tutti avoids per-account access entirely.

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Handing a coworker your Gmail password feels quick, but it causes real problems:

It breaks two-step verification, or forces you to share codes too.
There is no audit trail. Every message looks like it came from you.
It grants far more than email: Drive, Photos, account settings, and every app signed in with Google.
Revoking it means changing the password for everyone at once.

Google provides a better way built into Gmail: delegation.

How to add a delegate in Gmail

These steps follow Google's help article on delegation:

Open Gmail on a computer.
Click Settings, then See all settings.
Open the Accounts and Import tab, or Accounts if you use a work or school account.
In Grant access to your account, click Add another account.
Enter the delegate's email address and click Next Step.
Click Send email to grant access.

Google asks you to verify your identity first. The delegate must accept the invitation, which expires after one week, and access can take up to 24 hours to start.

What a delegate can and cannot do

Delegates can	Delegates cannot
Read your email	Change your password
Send email from your account (their address shows as the sender on the message)	Chat as you
Delete messages	Change your account settings
	Use features like Smart Compose, Gemini in Gmail, or Drive attachments

Limits to know

Personal Gmail: up to 10 delegates.
Work or school accounts: up to 1,000 delegates, though Google notes typically only about 40 can use the account at once.
Google Workspace: an admin must enable delegation, and delegates must be in the same organization.

When delegation is not enough

Delegation shares one mailbox with specific people. It does not give a team a single view across several addresses, show who is handling what, or add any review step. When several people share several inboxes, a shared inbox app is the better fit.

Tutti connects each Gmail account through Google sign-in, so nobody shares a password. The team works every account in one inbox, AI labels and drafts each conversation, and members submit drafts that an admin approves. You can disconnect a mailbox and revoke access at any time. See how to set up a shared inbox in Gmail for all three options side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to share a Gmail password with a coworker?

No. Password sharing breaks two-step verification, leaves no record of who did what, and gives full access to the Google account, not just email. Delegation or a shared inbox app are the safe options.

Can a Gmail delegate change my password?

No. According to Google, delegates cannot change the account password or settings, and cannot use chat.

How long does Gmail delegation take to start working?

Google says it can take up to 24 hours after the delegate accepts, and invitations expire after one week.

Why not just share the password?