Introduction
Box notifications enable managed users to efficiently stay up-to-date on the work they're involved in and on the work-related activity around them. By default, Box sends all notification emails to an account holder's primary Box email address.
Alternate Notification Email
Alternate notification emails enable managed users to receive email notifications at a verified notification email address different from their primary Box email address. The notification email can be configured by:
- Box admins, via the Admin Console
- Admin developers, via an API
- Individual Box account holders, via the Box Web app (if the admin has set up the enterprise setting to enable individuals to change their own emails
This feature will be available for Starter plans and above.
What can you do with this feature?
You can keep external managed users and admins of service accounts (such as. IT@company.com) informed.
If you manage your external users, you may have assigned a non-routable email address to evert managed external user, which prevented those users from receiving Box notifications. But you or the Box accountholders in your organization can add a notification email that is regularly monitored for Box notifications.
If you have service accounts that own content in your enterprise, but you still want to be informed about activity in those folders, you can add the admin's or IT team's notification email to receive Box notifications.
What notifications does Box send in the notification email?
All comments, collaborations, and account emails, including password reset emails, go to the notification email when the system verifies the email address. By default, the notification email address goes to the primary email address used to create a Box account.
Will the primary email address continue to receive emails?
No. Only the notification address receives emails when it has been verified.
Can you log in to Box with the notification email address?
No. You cannot log in with the notification email and see content associated with the primary account to which the email is linked.
Must the notification email be associated with a Box account?
No. The email can belong to any type of Box account holder (free or managed), and the email may or may not be associated with a Box account.
Can a notification email be associated with multiple primary Box accounts?
Yes. An email address can receive notifications from multiple Box accounts. For example, bob@gmail.com can be a notification email for bob123@box.com and bob456@box.com, and can receive emails from both Box accounts.
What if the notification email is not verified?
If a notification email has been added but not yet verified, Box continues to send all notification emails to the primary email address.
Do the notification preferences for the primary email address apply to the notification email address?
Yes. People can set up user notification preferences by opening the Box Web app and navigating to Account Settings > Notifications. User notification preferences set on the primary account also apply to the notification email.
What if the primary account has secondary email aliases?
For anyone who has set up one or more secondary email aliases (linked email addresses), the notifications for all secondary email aliases also go to the notification email address.
Configuration
Admins can use the Admin Console to configure the notification email. Admin/developers can use the API to configure the notification email. Individual Box account holders can use the Box Web app to configure the notification email, as long as the admin has configured the enterprise to allow end users to change their own emails.
Enterprise Admin Configuration
In the Admin Console, navigate to Enterprise Settings > Notifications > Email Notifications. There are 2 relevant enterprise settings. Changes to these settings are logged to the Security Logs report.

The setting Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address:
- Enables the alternate notification email feature for your enterprise.
- If this is enabled, all Box notifications are sent to any verified notification emails
- If this is not enabled, all Box notifications are sent to the primary email address for managed users, even if a notification email is specified. Notification emails that were previously specified are not be deleted.
Set up notification emails for your end users before turning this setting on.
If the sub-setting Allow all users to change their notification email is turned on, the system displays a Change Email option for the notification email in people's Account Settings page in the Web app.
Recommended configurations
- To enable the alternate notification email feature for your enterprise, without allowing your end users to specify their own notification email address, select Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address. Do this only if you prefer to configure this on behalf of your end users. This configuration is available under the Users & Groups tab.
- To enable your end users to receive email notifications at an alternate email address, and you also want tem to be able to specify their own notification email address, select Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address and Allow all users to change their notification email. You can still configure this on behalf of your end users. This configuration is available under the Users & Groups tab.
To add a notification email for an existing managed user:
- From your Admin Console, navigate to Users & Groups
- Find the managed user for whom you want to add a notification email.
- Add an email address to the Notification Email field
- Click Save.
The system sends a verification email to the notification email, which the managed user must then confirm.
When the user verifies the notification email, Box sends notifications to the notification email address if you have enabled the enterprise setting Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address.
To remove a notification email for an existing managed user:
- From your Admin Console, navigate to Users & Groups and search for the managed user for whom you want to remove a notification email.
- In the Notification Email text box, remove the email address and then click Save.
- If the primary email address can receive emails, first have the end user verify their primary Box account by accepting the email invitation and setting up a password. After that, you can follow the same steps outlined above to set up the notification email.
- If the primary email address for this user cannot receive emails, the admin can auto-verify the user's account. You must contact your Box Customer Success Manager (CSM) or file a support ticket to enable in your enterprise the ability for an admin to auto-verify a managed user's account. It is not enabled by default. After you verify the primary account, you can follow the same steps outlined above to set up the notification email.
End User Configuration
For end users to configure their own notification emails, you must first enable p2 enterprise settings:
- Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address
- Allow all users to change their notification email
To configure the notification email as an end user:
- In the top-right corner of your Box window, click your account icon and select Account Settings > Notifications tab > Email Notifications section and then click Change Email. If the end user does not have an option to Change Email, the enterprise setting is not enabled.
- Type in the notification email address to receive Box notifications. This address must be different from the primary email address.
- Click Save and view the pending notification email address.
- Log in to the inbox of the notification email address and verify the notification email. To do this, click Verify Email.
- Log in to the primary Box account to confirm the notification email. If the person is already logged into Box with their primary Box account, they can see the confirmation page.
- If the person is not logged into Box with the primary Box account, they will be prompted to log in.
- If the enterprise does not have SSO, clicking log in prompts them to enter in their password.
- If the enterprise has SSO enabled, clicking log in routes the user to the enterprise's SSO login page.
- If the person is logged in with a different primary Box account, they receive an error.
- If a notification email is verified, they see the notification email in the state below:
To remove the notification email as an end user:
- Navigate to Account Settings > Sharing tab > Email Notifications section and then click Reset to Default.
- Click Okay.
The system resets the notification email to primary email address and removes it from the Box account.
API Configuration
Admins/co-admins can use the developer APIs to update someone's notification email regardless of the configuration in the Enterprise Settings tab.
Reporting
The User Activity report audits the actions users and admins with regard to editing a notification email. The Security Logs report audits the changes made to the alternate notification email enterprise settings.
User Activity Report
The people who can run the User Activity report include:- Admins
- co-admins with permissions to run reports
- group admins with permissions to run reports
- Confirmed notification email
- This event is logged after a user adds a notification email and verifies their notification email.
- This event is not logged if a user or admin adds a notification email to an account but does not actually verify the notification email address.
- Removed notification email
- This event is logged when a user or admin removes a notification email from the account.
Here's an example of the User Activity report:
Scenario
|
User
|
Action
|
Affected
|
Details
|
Managed user confirms their own notification email
|
Managed
|
Confirmed notification email
|
Managed user
|
New email:
|
Managed user removes their own notification email
|
Managed User
|
Removed notification email
|
Managed User
|
Old email: <notification email>
New email: <primary email>
|
Admin removes a managed user's notification email
|
Admin
|
Removed notification email
|
Managed User
|
Old email: <notification email>
New email: <primary email>
|
Security Logs Report
Admins and co-admins with permissions to run reports can run the Security Logs Activity report. To run this report, from your Admin Console navigate to Reports > Create Report > Security Logs Report. Then configure two settings:
- Enable Notification Email
- Logs all changes to the enterprise setting Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address
- Enable User Update Notification email
- Logs all changes to the enterprise setting Allow all users to change their notification email
Here's an example of the Security Logs report:
Scenario
|
User
|
Category
|
Setting
|
Original Value
|
New Value
|
Admin enables the Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address setting
|
Admin
|
Notifications
|
Enable Notification Email
|
disabled/enabled
|
disabled/enabled
|
Admin disables the Allow all users to receive Box notifications at an alternate notification email address setting
|
Admin
|
Notifications
|
Enable Notification Email
|
disabled/enabled
|
disabled/enabled
|
Admin enables the Allow all users to change their notification email
|
Admin
|
Notifications
|
Enable User Update Notification Email
|
disabled/enabled
|
disabled/enabled
|
Admin disables the Allow all users to change their notification email
|
Admin
|
Notifications
|
Enable User Update Notification Email
|
disabled/enabled
|