Disable-MailUser

This cmdlet is available only in on-premises Exchange.

Use the Disable-MailUser cmdlet to remove email capabilities from existing mail users.

For information about the parameter sets in the Syntax section below, see Exchange cmdlet syntax.

Syntax

Disable-MailUser
       [-Identity] <MailUserIdParameter>
       [-Confirm]
       [-DomainController <Fqdn>]
       [-IgnoreDefaultScope]
       [-IgnoreLegalHold]
       [-WhatIf]
       [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Disable-MailUser cmdlet mail-disables existing mail users by removing the email attributes that are required by Exchange. Mail-disabled users are invisible to the *-MailUser cmdlets (with the exception of Enable-MailUser). All users (mail-enabled or not) are visible to the Get-User and Set-User cmdlets.

You need to be assigned permissions before you can run this cmdlet. Although this topic lists all parameters for the cmdlet, you may not have access to some parameters if they're not included in the permissions assigned to you. To find the permissions required to run any cmdlet or parameter in your organization, see Find the permissions required to run any Exchange cmdlet.

Examples

Example 1

Disable-MailUser -Identity markus@contoso.com

This example mail-disables an existing mail user.

Parameters

-Confirm

The Confirm switch specifies whether to show or hide the confirmation prompt. How this switch affects the cmdlet depends on if the cmdlet requires confirmation before proceeding.

  • Destructive cmdlets (for example, Remove-* cmdlets) have a built-in pause that forces you to acknowledge the command before proceeding. For these cmdlets, you can skip the confirmation prompt by using this exact syntax: -Confirm:$false.
  • Most other cmdlets (for example, New-* and Set-* cmdlets) don't have a built-in pause. For these cmdlets, specifying the Confirm switch without a value introduces a pause that forces you acknowledge the command before proceeding.

This cmdlet has a built-in pause, so use -Confirm:$false to skip the confirmation.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:cf
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

-DomainController

The DomainController parameter specifies the domain controller that's used by this cmdlet to read data from or write data to Active Directory. You identify the domain controller by its fully qualified domain name (FQDN). For example, dc01.contoso.com.

Type:Fqdn
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

-Identity

The Identity parameter specifies the mail user that you want to mail-disable. You can use any value that uniquely identifies the mail user. For example:

  • Name
  • Alias
  • Distinguished name (DN)
  • Canonical DN
  • Email address
  • GUID
Type:MailUserIdParameter
Position:1
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

-IgnoreDefaultScope

The IgnoreDefaultScope switch tells the command to ignore the default recipient scope setting for the Exchange PowerShell session, and to use the entire forest as the scope. You don't need to specify a value with this switch.

This switch enables the command to access Active Directory objects that aren't currently available in the default scope, but also introduces the following restrictions:

  • You can't use the DomainController parameter. The command uses an appropriate global catalog server automatically.
  • You can only use the DN for the Identity parameter. Other forms of identification, such as alias or GUID, aren't accepted.
Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

-IgnoreLegalHold

The IgnoreLegalHold switch ignores the legal hold status of the user. You don't need to specify a value with this switch.

When you disable or remove the user, the user's cloud-based mailbox that's on legal hold is also disabled or removed.

After you disable or remove a mailbox, you can't include it in a discovery search. When you disable a mailbox, the mailbox is disconnected from the user account. Disconnected mailboxes and removed mailboxes are permanently deleted from the mailbox database after the deleted mailbox retention period expires. However, you can also remove a mailbox and purge it immediately from the mailbox database. Check with your organization's legal or Human Resources department before you disable or remove a mailbox that's on legal hold.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

-WhatIf

The WhatIf switch simulates the actions of the command. You can use this switch to view the changes that would occur without actually applying those changes. You don't need to specify a value with this switch.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:wi
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False
Applies to:Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019

Inputs

Input types

To see the input types that this cmdlet accepts, see Cmdlet Input and Output Types. If the Input Type field for a cmdlet is blank, the cmdlet doesn't accept input data.

Outputs

Output types

To see the return types, which are also known as output types, that this cmdlet accepts, see Cmdlet Input and Output Types. If the Output Type field is blank, the cmdlet doesn't return data.