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How do I recover a deleted mailbox?

Published in Mailbox Recovery 3 mins read

Recovering a deleted mailbox generally involves using PowerShell cmdlets in an Exchange environment. Here's a step-by-step guide:

  1. Identify the Mailbox GUID: First, you need to find the unique identifier (GUID) of the deleted mailbox. You can do this using the Get-MailboxStatistics cmdlet. This cmdlet will show you the properties of mailboxes, including the Mailbox GUID.

  2. Initiate the Restore Request: Use the New-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet to start the recovery process. This cmdlet will require you to specify the source mailbox (the deleted mailbox using its GUID, also known as the SourceStoreMailbox) and the target mailbox where you want to restore the data. This target mailbox could be the original user's mailbox (if it exists and you just need to restore content) or a separate recovery mailbox.

  3. Monitor the Restore Progress: After initiating the restore request, you can check its status using the Get-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet. The Status property will indicate the progress (e.g., Queued, InProgress, Completed, Failed).

Example:

Let's say you want to restore a deleted mailbox with the GUID "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000" to a mailbox named "RecoveryMailbox". Here's how the PowerShell commands might look:

# Get the Mailbox GUID (This might be needed if you don't already know it)
Get-MailboxStatistics -Database "YourMailboxDatabaseName" | Where {$_.DisplayName -like "*DeletedUser*"} | Format-List DisplayName, MailboxGUID

# Restore the mailbox
New-MailboxRestoreRequest -SourceStoreMailbox "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000" -TargetMailbox "RecoveryMailbox" -AllowLegacyDNMismatch

#Check Status
Get-MailboxRestoreRequest -TargetMailbox "RecoveryMailbox" | Format-List

Important Considerations:

  • Exchange Permissions: Ensure you have the necessary permissions to perform these operations. You typically need to be an administrator with the appropriate Exchange roles.
  • Mailbox Database: You must know the mailbox database where the deleted mailbox resided.
  • Soft-Deleted vs. Permanently Deleted: Mailboxes are typically soft-deleted for a retention period before being permanently deleted. This makes recovery easier. If a mailbox is permanently deleted, recovery might be more complex or impossible without a backup.
  • -AllowLegacyDNMismatch: This parameter might be needed in some environments to avoid errors related to legacy distinguished names.
  • Alternatives: Depending on your environment, you might also be able to restore from backups. Reviewing your backup strategy is essential.

Remember to replace the example values (mailbox GUID, database name, target mailbox) with your actual values. Always test restores in a test environment first if possible. For further details, refer to official Microsoft documentation and reputable Exchange Server resources, such as this page from EDBmails.

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