Is it possible to change a Distribution List into a shared mailbox?

Question

Is it possible to change a Distribution List into a shared mailbox?

Oz Oscroft 36

I've found a few blogs saying it's possible, but very risky, so wondered if Microsoft Q&A would provide a better answer?

Aholic Liang-MSFT 13,876 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-01-23T07:31:27.43+00:00

Hi @Oz Oscroft , Just checking in to see how things are going on with this thread. If the reply was helpful, you can click the "Accept Answer" button under this post so that other's with similar question can benefit from this thread as well. If you still have further questions or concerns, feel free to post back.
Andy David - MVP 155K Reputation points MVP

2023-01-25T17:22:43.5866667+00:00

There is no wizard or built-in workflow to "convert" a shared mailbox to a distribution group if that is what you mean.

Everything would have to be done manually by removing the group and then moving the DL SMTP address to the shared mailbox.

Just curious, what blogs are you referring to?
Oz Oscroft 36 Reputation points

2023-01-25T19:41:35.83+00:00

Hi @Andy David - MVP - I can't find the blogs I searched, but remember them saying that if you make one tiny mistake it could all go very wrong ... but this approach seems simple enough! I've also found a complete PowerShell script at [https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/f27b0292-6add-40e6-b64b-700b1ff9fe8d/how-can-i-migrate-a-distribution-list-to-a-shared-mailbox-on-my-0365-admin-portal which appears to do the job (and adds in an x500 addition). Do you agree that this would work please:

Import-Module activedirectory

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.SnapIn;

#Code written by Jake Bell on the 14th June 2018

#Code found on thread https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/f27b0292-6add-40e6-b64b-700b1ff9fe8d/how-can-i-migrate-a-distribution-list-to-a-shared-mailbox-on-my-0365-admin-portal

#Pull details about the DG to be used

$DG = Get-DistributionGroup -identity (Read-Host -Prompt 'Input the Distribution Group Name')

$DGM = Get-DistributionGroupMember -Identity $DG | select Name,primarysmtpaddress

$X500 = $DG.legacyexchangedn

$x500 = "x500:" + $x500

#delete the DG

Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity $DG

#Create the shared mailbox with same details as the DG

new-mailbox -Name $dg -alias $DG.PrimarySmtpAddress.local -shared -primarysmtpaddress $dg.PrimarySmtpAddress.Address

#Create x500 address for anyone with autocomplete

set-mailbox -identity $DG.PrimarySmtpAddress.local -EmailAddresses @{Add= $x500}

#Sent items correction

set-mailbox -identity $DG.PrimarySmtpAddress.local -MessageCopyForSendOnBehalfEnabled:$true -MessageCopyForSentAsEnabled:$true

#add full access to the original members

foreach ($primarysmtpaddress in $DGM)

{

Add-MailboxPermission -Identity $DG.PrimarySmtpAddress.local -User $primarysmtpaddress.PrimarySmtpAddress.Address -AccessRights FullAccess -InheritanceType All

Add-ADPermission -Identity $DG.name -user $primarysmtpaddress.PrimarySmtpAddress.Address -AccessRights ExtendedRight -ExtendedRights "Send As"

}

write-host "Completed the script"
Rob Conrad 10 Reputation points

2024-02-23T17:08:49.14+00:00

Why not just rename the DL email and then create a Shared Mailbox with the same address?
Robb4242 46 Reputation points

2024-03-21T14:47:49.1566667+00:00

But then you couldn't take 6 hours to find a shortcut to a 5 minute task.

Accepted answer

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Your answer

Aholic Liang-MSFT 13,876 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2023-01-23T07:31:27.43+00:00

Hi @Oz Oscroft , Just checking in to see how things are going on with this thread. If the reply was helpful, you can click the "Accept Answer" button under this post so that other's with similar question can benefit from this thread as well. If you still have further questions or concerns, feel free to post back.
Andy David - MVP 155K Reputation points MVP

2023-01-25T17:22:43.5866667+00:00

There is no wizard or built-in workflow to "convert" a shared mailbox to a distribution group if that is what you mean.

Everything would have to be done manually by removing the group and then moving the DL SMTP address to the shared mailbox.

Just curious, what blogs are you referring to?
Rob Conrad 10 Reputation points

2024-02-23T17:08:49.14+00:00

Why not just rename the DL email and then create a Shared Mailbox with the same address?
Robb4242 46 Reputation points

2024-03-21T14:47:49.1566667+00:00

But then you couldn't take 6 hours to find a shortcut to a 5 minute task.

Answer 1

Santhi Swaroop Naik Bukke 595

Yes, it is possible to change a distribution list into a shared mailbox in Microsoft Exchange.

Here are the steps to convert a distribution list into a shared mailbox:

Open the Exchange Management Shell on the Exchange server.
Use the following command to disable the distribution list:

Copy code
Disable-DistributionGroup -Identity "DistributionListName"

Use the following command to convert the distribution list into a shared mailbox:

Copy code
New-Mailbox -Shared -Name "SharedMailboxName" -DisplayName "Shared Mailbox Display Name" -Alias "SharedMailboxName" -OrganizationalUnit "OU Name"

Use the following command to add the members of the distribution list to the shared mailbox:

Copy code
Add-MailboxPermission -Identity "SharedMailboxName" -User "DistributionListName" -AccessRights FullAccess

Use the following command to remove the distribution list from the Global Address List:

Copy code
Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity "DistributionListName"

It is important to note that before converting a distribution list into a shared mailbox, you should ensure that all the members of the distribution list have a valid mailbox, otherwise the conversion process will fail.

Also, it's important to note that after the conversion, the distribution list will no longer exist, and the shared mailbox will take its place.

It's recommended to test the process on a test environment before applying it to production.

Oz Oscroft 36 Reputation points

2023-01-25T17:21:03.4133333+00:00

Thanks @Santhi Swaroop Naik Bukke - that sounds like quite a simple process! Are there any potential pitfalls to be aware of?
Alik 25 Reputation points

2023-10-19T12:44:56.72+00:00

hi @Oz Oscroft - were you able to change a distribution list to shared mailbox following the answer provided by @SanthiSwaroopNaikeBukke ?

Thank you
Oryxalign AM Admin 0 Reputation points

2023-12-11T13:11:15.02+00:00

Hi, Can you please write down an example for this as commands. Thanks
Andrew Rowland 10 Reputation points

2024-04-01T20:54:46.5166667+00:00

Good afternoon, has this process changed? I get the following error on the first command in my test:

Disable-DistributionGroup: The term 'Disable-DistributionGroup' is not recognized as a name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or executable program.

Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.

Answer 2

Yes, it is possible to change a distribution list into a shared mailbox in Microsoft Exchange.

Here are the steps to convert a distribution list into a shared mailbox:

Open the Exchange Management Shell on the Exchange server.
Use the following command to disable the distribution list:

Copy code
Disable-DistributionGroup -Identity "DistributionListName"

Use the following command to convert the distribution list into a shared mailbox:

Copy code
New-Mailbox -Shared -Name "SharedMailboxName" -DisplayName "Shared Mailbox Display Name" -Alias "SharedMailboxName" -OrganizationalUnit "OU Name"

Use the following command to add the members of the distribution list to the shared mailbox:

Copy code
Add-MailboxPermission -Identity "SharedMailboxName" -User "DistributionListName" -AccessRights FullAccess

Use the following command to remove the distribution list from the Global Address List:

Copy code
Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity "DistributionListName"

It is important to note that before converting a distribution list into a shared mailbox, you should ensure that all the members of the distribution list have a valid mailbox, otherwise the conversion process will fail.

Also, it's important to note that after the conversion, the distribution list will no longer exist, and the shared mailbox will take its place.

It's recommended to test the process on a test environment before applying it to production.

Alik 25 Reputation points

2023-10-23T07:45:05.4366667+00:00

hello @SanthiSwaroopNaikBukke-4908, I'm having hard time finding how to open the Exchange Management Shell on the Exchange server. Can you help me with that please?

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Is it possible to change a Distribution List into a shared mailbox?

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