In Microsoft 365, shared mailboxes can be changed to user mailboxes. This may be required if you want to access the mailbox directly (through a particular app or device) or if you unintentionally change the incorrect regular mailbox to shared mailbox. Remember that a license is always needed for a user mailbox. This can be an Exchange Online-only plan or a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Exchange Online. You won’t be allowed to use the mailbox without the license. I’ll cover how to use PowerShell or the admin center to change a shared mailbox to a user mailbox in this article.
Table of Content
The following list of distinctions between the two is:
- License-free storage up to 50 GB is available.
- It is accessible to numerous users.
- Accessing the shared mailbox requires permission.
Regular Mailbox
- A license is necessary.
- Enter your login credentials to log in.
- Mailbox size is determined by subscription level.
The Exchange Admin Center and PowerShell are the two methods available to us for converting the shared mailbox. To begin, let’s look at the Exchange Admin Center (EAC).
In the Exchange Admin Center, the shared mailboxes appear in between the regular mailboxes. You can use the filter to display only shared mailboxes or search the list for the shared mailbox name:
Let’s switch the mailbox back to a user mailbox now that the shared mailboxes are visible:
- Open the shared mailbox in Exchange Admin Center.
- Select the “Others” tab.
- Choose Convert to regular mailbox.
- On the prompt, select Confirm.
In the mailboxes list, the mailbox must now be identified as a User Mailbox. You won’t be allowed to access the mailbox if you don’t assign the user proper license!
In order to change the shared mailbox again to a user mailbox, PowerShell can also be used. You must have the Exchange Online module installed in PowerShell in order to do this.
We’ll use the Set-Mailbox cmdlet to convert the mailbox back. We are using the mailbox’s email address to verify identity. Although using the mailbox name is also an option, using an email address is preferable because it is unique.
# Connect to Exchange Online
Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName admin@easilymigrate.onmicrosoft.com
# Convert Shared mailbox back to user
Set-Mailbox -Identity test@easilymigrate.onmicrosoft.com -Type Regular
There will be no output or indication that the operation was successful from the cmdlet. You will only be informed if there is a mistake. Therefore, we can use the Get-Mailbox cmdlet to confirm if the mailbox has been converted to a regular mailbox:
Get-Mailbox -Identity test@easilymigrate.onmicrosoft.com | Select Name, RecipientTypeDetails # ResultName RecipientTypeDetails---- --------------------Test UserMailbox
The mailbox type is currently set to user mailbox, as you can see. Once more, confirm that the user account has the proper license assigned to it in order for you to access the mailbox.
Conclusion
It is equally simple to convert a shared mailboxes to user mailbox and vice versa. Ensure that the user mailbox has a license assigned to it. Transforming a shared mailbox into a user mailbox will help you work better and make sure that messages reach the right people on time. Time is saved, confusion is removed, and improved conversation tracking is made possible by doing this.
I truly believe you found this post useful. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below.
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