The question is simple: how to restore deleted mailbox? To be more specific, how to recover a deleted exchange mailbox?
Microsoft Exchange Server can create multiple databases of varied sizes, each comprising numerous mailboxes. Often, users get permission to delete unwanted or obsolete mailboxes to accommodate more data.
IT administrators can delete the mailboxes of former employees to create accounts for new employers. During the deletion process, there is always the possibility of abrupt or unintentional deletion of mailboxes.
What if you want to restore such abruptly deleted mailboxes? Is it possible? If so, can you restore them easily?
The answer is yes, you can restore a deleted mailbox. Here is more on how you can recover deleted Exchange Mailboxes manually and through an Exchange recovery tool, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange.
How To Restore Deleted Mailbox? An Insight Into Restoring Deleted Exchange Mailboxes:
The ease of restoration of a deleted mailbox depends on whether it is still in the retention period of (mostly 30 days) from the date of deletion. If the retention period has expired, you cannot recover the mailbox.
In that case, let’s look at how to recover deleted mailboxes in different cases:
Case 1: Increase Retention Period
Interestingly, you may also choose to configure your Exchange Server account manually to extend the retention period as per your requirements. So, here are the steps for the same:
- Open Exchange Admin Center.
- Log in with your Exchange Server account.
- Choose ‘Servers’ from the left pane.
- Choose the database used by your Exchange Server and click ‘Edit.’
- In the left pane, look for ‘limits’ and edit the ‘’Keep deleted mailboxes for (days)’ field.
Abiding by these steps will allow you ample time to recover your deleted mailboxes.
Case 2: How To Restore A Deleted Mailbox?
To perform this task, you need to connect the deleted mailbox to a user account first. Moreover, you may seek the help of Exchange Admin Center or Exchange Management Shell (EMS) commands.
- Connect The Deleted Mailbox To The User Account By Using EAC:
Follow these simple steps to execute this task:
- Launch Exchange Administration Center
- Navigate to Recipients >Mailboxes
- Click More Options >Connect a Mailbox
- This will fetch you a roster of deleted mailboxes on the selected Server.
- Select the deleted mailboxes that you wish to connect to the user account.
- Click Connect>Yes.
- Next, you will get a list of user accounts, which are not mail-enabled.
- Click the user account to the chosen deleted mailbox.
- From the Active Directory (AD) Recycle bin, retrieve the user to reconnect the deleted user account.
- In case the recycle bin does not contain the user, create a fresh AD user
- Use this new user to connect the disconnected user mailbox
- Click Refresh to check the status
If all the steps are correct, you will connect the user account to the deleted mailbox successfully.
- Connect The Deleted Mailbox To The User Account By Using EMS:
You can also connect the deleted mailbox to a non-mail-enabled user account with the help of Exchange Management Shell. So, here is the command:
Connect-Mailbox -Identity “MBUser” -Database MBDB01 -User “Mark Twain” -Alias Markt
So, let’s move on to the next and much-awaited segment.
Method To Recover Deleted Exchange Mailbox:
You can run the New-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell to restore the deleted mailbox. The successful execution of this command will copy the contents of the deleted mailbox to the target mailbox.
Before that, run the Get-MailboxDatabase cmdlet to fetch the requisite information about the deleted mailbox.
| $dbs = Get-MailboxDatabase $dbs | foreach {Get-MailboxStatistics -Database $_.DistinguishedName} | where {$_.DisconnectReason -eq “Disabled”} | Format-Table DisplayName, MailboxGuid, Database, DisconnectDate |
Next, recover the deleted mailbox by using the New-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet.
| New-MailboxRestoreRequest -SourceStoreMailbox e4890ee7-79a2-4f94-9569-91e61eac372b -SourceDatabase MBXDB01 -TargetMailbox “Debra Garcia” –AllowLegacyDNMismatch |
After the successful completion of the entire Exchange recovery process, you will end up restoring your deleted mailbox to the selected source mailbox.
Use Stellar Repair For Exchange To Restore Deleted Mailbox:
Manual approaches are rarely enough, especially in the case of heavily corrupted databases. Stellar Repair for Exchange recovery makes recovery easier due to a friendly interface and the advanced technologies it leverages.
Key Features Of Stellar Repair For Exchange:
- Recovers deleted mailboxes
- Recover damaged or corrupt Exchange database (.edb) files
- Recover emails selectively, saving a lot of time and resources
- Exports the recovered mails to PST, live exchange, or Office 365
How Stellar Repair For Exchange Works?
- Download and run the software.
- Choose the damaged or inaccessible EDB file
- Preview recoverable mailboxes and items
- Start the recovery of deleted mailboxes
- Save recovered data in the desired format or export directly to the server
Stellar Repair for Exchange ensures accurate recovery, saving time, and preventing downtime for your organization. Moreover, it eliminates guesswork and provides concrete recovery solutions for corrupted, deleted, or damaged Exchange server mailboxes
Preventive Measures To Avoid During Mailbox Deletion:
While using Exchange recovery software becomes inevitable to recover deleted Exchange mailboxes, you should try to avoid such mishaps firsthand. So, here are some crucial preventive tips to protect mailboxes from undue deletion.
1. RBAC:
Implementing Role-Based Access Control is a widely preferred preventive measure. It allows only the rightful users to perform mailbox deletion and modification.
Recommendations:
- Review permissions from time to time for any organizational changes.
- Assign admin privileges to limited people in the organization.
2. Schedule Regular Backups:
Regular and automatic Exchange Server data backups are necessary.
Recommendations:
- Incremental backups are preferable
- Test backup files from time to time for their integrity.
3. Retention Policies:
An important part of the Exchange recovery process, retention policies make deleted mailboxes recoverable within a specified period.
Recommendations:
- Implement retention periods according to your organization’s recovery requirements.
- Periodically review and modify retention policies.
4. Train IT Staff:
Train the IT staff on proper Exchange Server management to avoid human mistakes.
Recommendations
- Instruct them on how to handle mailboxes safely.
- Provide information about native tools such as Eseutil and PowerShell usage.
- Train them on crisis management for database corruption cases.
5. Activity Monitoring And Auditing:
It will enable auditing within Exchange Server to track mailbox deletions and detect unauthorized access.
Recover Your Deleted Exchange Mailbox Today!
Recovering an accidentally deleted Exchange mailbox ensures continuity in business communication. Also, it adds a layer of protection over critical data used in a business setup.
Manual methods like employing EAC and PowerShell, recover items, but you need to possess penetrating technical skills to perform these operations. Moreover, these methods often consume a lot of time without any surety of successful results.
Third-party automated software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange streamlines the Exchange recovery process. It works actively in recovering the deleted Exchange mailboxes, which saves your crucial and precious time, paving the way for uninterrupted business communication.
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