Exchange Management Console

Applies to: Exchange Server 2010

The Exchange Management Console (EMC) is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0-based tool that provides Exchange administrators with a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage the configuration of Exchange organizations. You can also add the EMC snap-in to custom MMC-based tools.

For more information about improvements to the EMC, see New Administrative Functionality in the Exchange Management Console.

Common User Interface Elements in the Exchange Management Console

This section describes the user interface elements that are common across the EMC.

Console Tree

The console tree is located on the left side of the console and is organized by nodes that are based on the server roles you've installed. These server role-based nodes are described in greater detail later in this topic.

Result Pane

The result pane is located in the center of the console. This pane displays objects based on the node that's selected in the console tree. In addition, you can filter the information in the result pane. For more information, see Filter the Result Pane.

Work Pane

The work pane is located at the bottom of the result pane. This pane displays objects based on the server role that's selected in the Server Configuration node.

Note

The work pane is available only when you select objects under the Server Configuration node, such as Mailbox or Client Access.

Action Pane

The action pane is located on the right side of the console. This pane lists the actions based on the object that's selected in the console tree, result pane, or work pane. The action pane is an extension of the shortcut menu, which is the menu that appears when you right-click an item. However, the shortcut menu is still available. To show or hide the action pane, click the Show/Hide Action Pane arrow.

Show/Hide Action Pane arrow

The following table lists common action pane options.

Action pane option	Description
Export List	Click Export List to open the Export List dialog box. You can use this dialog box to save the list of recipients in the result pane to a text file. For instructions about how to use the Export List feature, see Export Lists from the Exchange Management Console.
View	Click View in the action pane to modify how objects are displayed in the console and to record and view the Exchange Management Shell commands that run in the console. The following options may vary depending on your location in the console tree: View Exchange Management Shell Command Log Click View Exchange Management Shell Command Log to view the Shell Command Log dialog box. The Command Log allows you to view all the Shell commands that have been executed in the console. For more information, see Using the Exchange Management Shell Command Log to Track Tasks Performed in the EMC. Add/Remove Columns Click Add/Remove Columns to select which columns you want to display in the result pane and to change the order. The available columns depend on the node that you select. The MMC automatically saves your settings. To revert to the default column view, click Restore Defaults in the Add/Remove Columns dialog box. For more information, see Add or Remove Columns in the Exchange Management Console. Visual Effects Click Visual Effects to set the visual effects to be never on or automatic. Use the visual effects setting to configure how Exchange wizards are displayed. If your connection is slow when running wizards, you can increase performance by turning off visual effects. Use the Automatic setting to have the console detect if your system should have visual effects turned on or off. Save Current Filter as Default Click Save Current Filter as Default to make the existing filter the default filter for the servers listed in the result pane. Customize Click Customize to select the console components and snap-ins to display or hide. These settings apply to the entire console. For more information, see Customize the Exchange Management Console.
Refresh	Click Refresh to refresh the information displayed in the result pane.
Help	Click Help to read the context-sensitive Help for the node or object selected.
Properties	Click Properties to view or edit the current configuration for the object selected in the result pane or work pane. Note: This option may not be available for all objects.
Remove	Click Remove to delete the selected object from the work pane. Note: This option may not be available for all objects. Important: When you remove a mailbox, not only is the Exchange data deleted, but the associated user account in Active Directory is deleted as well.
Enable or Disable	Click Enable or Disable to enable or disable the object selected in the result pane or work pane. Disabling an object doesn't delete it. Note: These options may not be available for all objects.