How to convert an user account with Mailbox to M365 group without losing data

Question

Hello All,

Is there a way to convert an existing user mailbox to M365 group without loosing the mailbox data.

Answer 1

Microsoft 365 and user mailboxes are two very different object types, there is no direct way to "convert" between them.

Answer 2

Hi @Mani,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, you are wondering if there is a way to convert existing user mailboxes to Microsoft 365 groups without losing mailbox data. Unfortunately, there is no direct in-built conversion method.

Microsoft 365 groups are designed for collaboration within organizations. They come with a group email address and a SharePoint site where you can share documents, notes, and meeting agendas. You can use Microsoft 365 Groups for project management, team communication, and document sharing. A user mailbox is an email account for an individual user, and the data in a user mailbox is usually private and accessible only to that user. Therefore it cannot be converted directly.

If your need is for multiple people to access the same mailbox, a user mailbox can be converted to a shared mailbox, which will retain all existing email and calendar information. Only now it is located in the shared mailbox and several people instead of one will be able to access it. There is no need to migrate data and historical emails are retained. Detailed information can be found in the documentation: Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

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Thank you for your support and understanding.