Query on Distribution List

Question

Hi All,

I have a distribution list (DL) with the display name "TestA" and the email address TestA@contoso.com. I want to rename the DL display name from "TestA" to "TestB" and change the email address from TestA@contoso.com to TestB@contoso.com.

I would still like TestA@contoso.com to remain as a secondary email for TestB@contoso.com, with TestB@contoso.com being the primary email address. Will the secondary email address be visible to users? I do not want it to be visible.

How can I achieve this using PowerShell? Will the syntax be the same for both online and on-premises environments, as I need to achieve this for both? I am using an Exchange 2016 hybrid environment.

Answer 1

Hi, @Glenn Maxwell

Based on your description, I understand that you want to do something with the distribution group.

You can use the following command to rename TestA to TestB:

Set-DistributionGroup -Identity "TestA" -DisplayName "TestB"

Then, you can use the following command to change the email address from TestA@contoso.com to TestB@contoso.com:

Set-DistributionGroup -Identity "TestB" -PrimarySmtpAddress TestB@contoso.com

After my test, after I successfully changed my email address, TestA@contoso.com automatically changed to the alias of TestB, i.e. secondary email. If you fail to convert automatically, you can also use the command:

Set-DistributionGroup -Identity "TestB@contoso.com" -EmailAddresses @{Add="TestA@contoso.com"}

After the above operations, you can use the following command to check whether the changes are completed:

Get-DistributionGroup -Identity TestB@contoso.com | Format-List Name,PrimarySmtpAddress,EmailAddresses

The operation success is shown in the following figure.

In Microsoft Exchange and Exchange Online, the secondary email address (alias) is not directly visible to the user. When a user views a distribution group on a mail client, they typically only see the primary email address. When you send a message to a secondary email address, the mail client also displays the primary email address of the distribution group.

Both the above commands can be executed in both online and on-premises.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".