This mailbox has been marked for removal on the server. Click here to remove.

Question

Dear Support Team,

Please help me regarding this issue. Today, as usual, I opened my Outlook application on my computer and noticed a red dot symbol with mark and the message: “This mailbox has been marked for removal on the server. Click here to remove.”

I have not received any messages or notifications from Microsoft about this. Additionally, I am unable to log in to my business account, as it says that the account no longer exists.

Could you please assist me in resolving this issue?

Kind regards, [Moderator note: personal info removed]

Answer 1

Hi @Dalius Skirtingos Spalvos,

Thank you for reaching out. I understand how concerning it is to see the message “This mailbox has been marked for removal on the server” in Outlook - especially when you can’t sign in and the system reports that the account no longer exists.

This banner usually means the mailbox or the underlying user account was deleted, deprovisioned, or lost its Exchange Online license on the server. In this situation, Outlook is simply telling you that it no longer sees a valid mailbox behind the profile, and “Click here to remove” only removes the local profile - it does not recover the account.

Try signing in via Outlook on the web:

If the sign‑in page reports that your account no longer exists, your account was likely deleted in Microsoft Entra ID. Deleted accounts can typically be restored within 30 days from the Deleted user's section.

 

If you’re not an IT admin, please contact your admin and ask them to perform the following steps:

An Exchange Online mailbox only works if the user has an active Exchange Online license. If the license was removed or the account was deleted, the mailbox becomes inaccessible and Outlook shows the “marked for removal” message.

The best necessary next step is to contact your IT admin. They are the only ones who can fix this because it requires admin‑level access to Microsoft 365.

1/ Check whether the user account was deleted

• Go to Microsoft Entra admin center > Users > Deleted users.
• If your account appears there, select it and choose Restore user (available for 30 days after deletion).
• After restoring, the admin must reassign the appropriate licenses. If an Exchange Online license is applied again, the mailbox should also be restored as long as it’s still within the soft‑deleted recovery period.

2/ Verify whether the mailbox was deleted or became unlicensed

• If your account still exists but the mailbox was removed or unlicensed, Exchange Online may have placed it in a soft‑deleted state.
• Soft‑deleted mailboxes can typically be reconnected within about 30 days once your account is re‑licensed.
• If the mailbox was under Litigation Hold or a retention policy, it may have become an Inactive mailbox, which preserves data even after deletion.

3/ Less common: account blocked by security policies

• If the identity was blocked by security tools, your admin can check Microsoft 365 Defender > Investigation & response >Actions & submissions > Action center for any “Unblock account” actions.

Reference:

• Restore or permanently remove recently deleted user - Microsoft Entra ...
• Delete or restore user mailboxes in Exchange Online

 

If the issue continues:

I recommend asking your IT admin should open a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center so Microsoft can review the mailbox and account state directly.

I hope these steps help. Please let me know if you need further assistance. I'm happy to continue helping until we get this resolved.

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Thank you for your kindness and for contributing to the forum.   

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Answer 2

The mailbox and account are no longer available in the service. The Outlook message “This mailbox has been marked for removal on the server. Click here to remove.” indicates that the server-side mailbox has been deleted or deprovisioned, so Outlook can only remove the local profile; it cannot restore the mailbox.

To proceed from the Outlook side on the affected computer:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Open Control Panel → Mail → Show Profiles….
3. Select the profile that contains this mailbox and click Remove.
4. Confirm the warning that cached data (.ost) for that profile will be deleted. If any POP/IMAP or .pst data files were used, back them up first as described in the article about exporting or backing up to a .pst file.
5. Create a new profile with Add… only after a working mailbox or account has been (re)created for the user.

Because sign-in to the business account now reports that the account no longer exists, recovery must be handled by the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator or Microsoft support for the tenant. If the account or mailbox was deleted in the tenant, only an administrator (or Microsoft support, if the tenant is locked out) can:

• Restore the user account or mailbox (if still within the service’s soft-delete retention window), or
• Recreate the account and assign the appropriate licenses.

If there is no other global admin available and the tenant is effectively locked out, a support ticket with Microsoft is required so the Data Protection team can assist in restoring access to the tenant and resolving the issue.

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References:

• “Your mailbox has been temporarily moved on Microsoft Exchange server” message when an Office 365 user opens Outlook
• Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 for business
• Situation - Locked out of global admin account (MFA) - business down - Microsoft Q&A