Impact of Converting a Licensed Mailbox with Online Archive to a Shared Mailbox

Question

Hi,

what happens if a licensed user mailbox with an Online Archive is converted to a shared mailbox and the license is removed? Will access to the Online Archive be restricted? Are the archived emails preserved, and can access be restored by reassigning a license later? Is there a time limit for retaining archived data without an active license?

Can a Microsoft employee confirm the exact behavior in such scenarios?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Neezz-T,

Thank you for your updates, regarding your inquiry you could check below our investigation.

Scenario: Large Mailbox with Online Archive Being Converted to a Shared Mailbox After License Removal

1. What happens when a mailbox (with an Online Archive) exceeds 50 GB and is converted to a shared mailbox, and the license is removed?
   When you convert a licensed mailbox to a shared mailbox and remove the license, here's what happens in relation to the mailbox size and the Online Archive:
   • **Mailbox Limitations:**If the primary mailbox and Online Archive exceed the 50 GB limit for a shared mailbox, the system will not automatically prevent you from removing the license, but the mailbox will become "frozen" in a way that prevents any further changes or growth.
     • The primary mailbox will be restricted from receiving new emails.
     • You will still be able to view the existing data (including emails in the archive), but new data cannot be added.
     • If the mailbox is larger than 50 GB, Microsoft won't allow the mailbox to function normally unless the proper license (such as Exchange Online Archiving) is assigned again.
   • Frozen State:
     • The shared mailbox will no longer receive new emails after the license is removed, but existing emails (including in the Online Archive) will be accessible.
     • Essentially, you get a "read-only" mailbox. It's a frozen state where you can view and search emails, but no new emails can be delivered to it.
     • You will not lose data — it will remain accessible for searching and retrieval — but it will not grow or accept new messages unless a license is applied again.
2. How does this work for a "former employee" mailbox that is accessed occasionally for specific searches?
   This is actually a fairly common use case, and the process works well for such scenarios:
   • Once the mailbox is converted to a shared mailbox, it can be kept in its "frozen" state, where the digital heir or another authorized person can search for and retrieve specific emails without new emails being added to the mailbox.
   • As long as the mailbox and its archive are under 50 GB in total, you won't need to assign a license, and it will continue to be accessible in this read-only state.
3. What happens if the shared mailbox exceeds 50 GB?
   • If the mailbox size (primary + archive) exceeds 50 GB, Microsoft will not allow the mailbox to function as a shared mailbox without a license. In this case, you will either need to:
     • Reassign a license to the mailbox to restore full functionality (including the ability to receive new messages and access a larger archive), or
     • Keep the mailbox inaccessible for further use beyond viewing past data, unless you assign the appropriate license to support the larger storage needs.
4. Is it safe to assume data won’t be deleted or lost?
   • Yes, once you remove the license and convert it to a shared mailbox, the data is not deleted immediately.
   • Microsoft typically offers a grace period (30 days) where the mailbox and data are retained, even if it is no longer licensed, but during this period, access to new data will be restricted.
   • As long as you reassign a license within that grace period, you can restore full access to the mailbox and archive.

Summary:

• If the mailbox exceeds 50 GB, you must assign a license to continue receiving emails and to keep the archive growing.
• If the mailbox is less than 50 GB, and you're just looking for a "read-only" state for occasional searches (e.g., for former employees), you can convert the mailbox to a shared mailbox, remove the license, and access the data without losing any of it. The mailbox will not accept new emails, but existing data will remain accessible.

For your use case with former employees, this solution works well as long as you ensure the total size of the mailbox and archive remains under the 50 GB limit for shared mailboxes.

If it exceeds that, assigning a license (with archiving support) will be necessary to keep it functional.

When you convert a licensed user mailbox with an Online Archive to a shared mailbox and remove the license, several things happen, but the impact on the Online Archive can vary depending on certain factors.

Key Points to Consider:

1. Online Archive Access After License Removal:
   • Yes, access to the Online Archive can be restricted when the mailbox is converted to a shared mailbox and the license is removed.
   • A shared mailbox does not require a license, but it does require an active Exchange Online license (or at least an Exchange Online Archiving license) to maintain access to the Online Archive.
   • If you remove the Exchange Online license (which includes the Online Archive), the user’s archived emails will still be preserved, but access to the Online Archive will be restricted.
2. Preservation of Archived Emails:
   • Yes, archived emails will be preserved even after the license is removed and the mailbox is converted to a shared mailbox. Microsoft retains this data in Exchange Online for a grace period, but you will not be able to access it unless the mailbox is re-licensed.
   • The data is not deleted immediately after removing the license, but it will become inaccessible without a valid license.
3. Access Restoration by Reassigning a License:
   • Yes, you can restore access to the Online Archive by reassigning a valid license that includes Exchange Online Archiving.
   • Once the license is reassigned, the archived data will be accessible again.
   • This is particularly useful if you want to reactivate the user’s access to archived emails without losing the data.
4. Time Limit for Retaining Archived Data:
   • Microsoft offers a grace period after a license is removed, during which the archived emails will be retained. This grace period is typically 30 days, after which the data might be permanently deleted.
   • The grace period may vary depending on your organization’s specific policies and subscription plan, so you should consult Microsoft support or check the details in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Recommended Actions:

• Before converting a licensed mailbox to a shared mailbox, ensure that you understand the impact on access to the Online Archive.
• If keeping access to the Online Archive is important, consider maintaining the appropriate license (e.g., Exchange Online Archiving license) for the shared mailbox, even if it is no longer licensed for other features.
• Regularly back up important data, especially in scenarios where licenses are removed or users are deactivated, to avoid data loss.

Best Regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 2

Hi Neezz-T,

Have a good day.

Regarding your inquiry, please check below answering your questions and inquiries.

1. From what I understand, the data in a shared mailbox, including the Online Archive, will never be deleted due to exceeding 50 GB and lacking a license (assuming the Microsoft 365 tenant with licensed mailboxes is in place).

· If the user mailbox data exceed 50GB and you convert it to a shared mailbox that will be happened:

(a) The shared mailbox status will be frozen.

(b) The online archive access will be restricted unless assign Exchange Online license.

(c) The data will not be removed until the Grace period (30) after which the data might be permanently deleted.

2. The 30-day grace period mentioned by Microsoft only means that the shared mailbox will not yet be functionally restricted or frozen during this period. Even after the grace period ends, the data will not be deleted — only new emails would be rejected.

· The 30 days grace period mean Microsoft keep the data of unlicensed shared mailbox and after the grace period if the shared mailbox data exceed 50GB the data might be permanently deleted..

3. After the 30-day period, if the mailbox exceeds 50 GB, can delegated users still access the mailbox and Online Archive in a read-only manner?

We don’t recommend to wait until the grace period finished without assigning license to prevent after which the data might be permanently deleted in this case.

4. Shared mailboxes under 50 GB without license can be used by multiple users as a shared additional mailbox where emails can still be received - that is the current state in our tenant

Yes, sure the shared mailbox functionally normal in this case.

Best Regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 3

Hello,

thank you for your detailed response.

However, I am not entirely sure if I interpreted this correctly:

1. From what I understand, the data in a shared mailbox, including the Online Archive, will never be deleted due to exceeding 50 GB and lacking a license (assuming the Microsoft 365 tenant with licensed mailboxes is in place).
2. The 30-day grace period mentioned by Microsoft only means that the shared mailbox will not yet be functionally restricted or frozen during this period. Even after the grace period ends, the data will not be deleted — only new emails would be rejected.
3. After the 30-day period, if the mailbox exceeds 50 GB, can delegated users still access the mailbox and Online Archive in a read-only manner?
4. Shared mailboxes under 50 GB without license can be used by multiple users as a shared additional mailbox where emails can still be received - that is the current state in our tenant

Answer 4

Hi Eleni Constantinou,

thank you for your response.

I understand that a shared mailbox, including the In-Place Online Archive, can have a maximum of 50 GB of storage, and if more storage is needed, a license must be assigned.

However, my question was more about what happens if a mailbox, including the In-Place Online Archive, is larger than 50 GB, and I convert it to a shared mailbox and then remove the license.

Will the system prevent me from removing the license, or will the mailbox be frozen, so it no longer receives new emails and can only be viewed without losing any emails or data?

The latter would be very desirable for mailboxes of former employees who have a digital heir and only need to be searched sporadically for specific emails.

Answer 5

Hi Neezz-T,

Have a Good day.

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community, we are Happy to assist you.

First of all, we apologize for the trouble and inconvenience caused to your work!

Based on your inquiry regarding converting a Licensed Mailbox with Online Archive to a Shared Mailbox.

Kindly note that when converting a user mailbox to a shared mailbox, the shared mailbox can store up to 50GB of data without you assigning a license to it including the In Place-Archiving.

That mean the shared mailbox and In Place-Archive storage not exceed 50GB and if you need more storage for both that require an Exchange Online Plan 2 license.

Attached screenshot from out test environment that appears you could enable In Place-Archive for a shared mailbox normally without limitation except you exceed the storage limit.

Here are resources you could refer to:

About shared mailboxes

Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox

Exchange Online limits

I hopeour information helped you for answering your inquiry efficient.

• Note: Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Best Regards,

Microsoft Community Moderator