Summary: Deleted or disconnected mailboxes can be easily restored in Exchange Server before the retention period is over. But if the deleted mailboxes are not visible in the disconnected mailbox list for any reason, it can prevent you from restoring the mailbox, leading to data loss. In this post, we have discussed the steps to fix and restore deleted mailboxes even if they are not visible in the disconnected mailbox list.
When a mailbox is deleted from the Exchange Server, deliberately or accidentally, the mailbox is moved to the disconnected mailbox list. Think of it as a Recycle Bin for deleted mailboxes where the deleted mailbox resides till the retention period is over. By default, the retention period is set to 30 days, which you can change based on your organization?s policies and needs.
If the mailbox is deleted accidentally and you need to restore it, you can easily do so by reconnecting the mailbox to a new user.
But sometimes, the removed or deleted mailbox does not appear in the list of disconnected Exchange mailboxes.
Solutions to Restore Deleted Mailbox Not Showing in Disconnected List
To restore the deleted mailboxes that aren?t visible in the disconnected mailbox list, you can use PowerShell cmdlets or an Exchange recovery software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange.
Follow the steps below to restore a deleted mailbox that isn?t visible in the disconnected mailbox list.
Step 1: Check The Disconnected Mailbox Name
You must know the deleted mailbox name to restore or reconnect a deleted mailbox in the Exchange Server that isn?t visible in the disconnected mailbox list.
For this, use the PowerShell command below in the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) to view the names of all disconnected mailboxes.
Get-MailboxStatistics -Database ?DatabaseName? | ?{$_.DisconnectReason -ne $null}If your mailbox doesn?t show up, it may not be marked as disconnected. In such a case, you need to clean up the database.
Step 2: Clean Up & Update The Database
You can use the PowerShell command below in the EMS to scan the directory for disconnected mailboxes that aren?t yet marked as disconnected in the Exchange store. This will also update the mailbox status accordingly, after which the deleted mailboxes should appear in the disconnected mailbox list. This command works in Exchange 2010 SP1.
Clean-MailboxDatabase ?DatabaseName?If you are using Exchange 2013, 2016, or later, use the following command.
Update-StoreMailboxState ?Database ?dbx01? -Identity ?<>?Step 3: Retrieve Disconnected Mailbox Details
To restore a disconnected or deleted mailbox, you need the GUID of the removed mailboxes. For this, you can use the Get-MailboxStatistic cmdlet to find the GUID of the disconnected mailbox.
Get-Mailbox ?Database ?DatabaseName? -IgnoreDefaultScope | Get-MailboxStatistics | ft DisplayName,MailboxGUIDIMPORTANT NOTES:
- Before executing the commands mentioned above, update all users about the disruption.
- Depending on the size of the database, the process can take a considerable amount of time apart from the fact that affected users will not have access to their mailbox. They can?t send or receive emails, and incoming emails might bounce back to the sender if you don?t have an alternative solution to queue emails.
- For this reason, it?s recommended that you schedule and perform the task late at night to avoid disruption.
- You would also need to create a new Active Directory user to connect and restore the deleted or disconnected mailbox.
Step 4: Reconnect & Restore Disconnected Mailbox
Once you have created the new AD user and have the required details of the disconnected mailbox, use the following command to connect and restore.
Connect-Mailbox -Database ?DatabaseName? -Identity "DeletedMailboxName" -User "ADUserName"You may also use the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) to reconnect the deleted mailbox. The mailbox should be visible in the disconnected mailbox list now.
- In the EAC, go to recipients > mailboxes and click the more icon (?).
- Choose Connect a mailbox and then select the mailbox from the disconnected mailbox list.
- Click the Connect icon and select No, I want to connect to a different user account.
- Select the User Mailbox option and click Next.
- Click Browse, choose the new AD user you have created and click OK> Finish.
- This will reconnect the mailbox to the new user. Then, you can sign in using the AD user credentials in Outlook to access the mailbox and mail items.
Conclusion
Although the steps discussed in this post can help you find and reconnect a disconnected mailbox that isn?t showing in disconnected mailbox lists, it?s time-consuming and may not work in every case. However, you can use a third-party Exchange recovery software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange, to quickly resolve such issues. It?s a powerful and advanced tool to repair a damaged, inconsistent, or corrupt Exchange database, extract mailboxes, and save individual PST files. It can also export the mailboxes from the damaged database directly to a Live Exchange Server or Office 365.
It also recovers and restores deleted mailboxes and mail items to PST format or exported to the Exchange or Office 365. You can also save the recovered mailboxes and mail items to other multiple formats, such as MSG, EML, and PDF.
It?s a much faster, reliable, and convenient way to restore deleted mailboxes that do not appear in the disconnected list.
