In Exchange Server, when you need to export mailboxes to PST, you use the New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. However, when the export requests are completed, they are not cleared automatically. You need to remove them by using the Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. You can use this cmdlet to remove the completed or even partially completed mailbox export requests. When removing the export requests that are not completed, you need to remember that the content that has already been exported to PST will not be removed.
The Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet is available in on-premises Exchange Server 2010, 2013, and later versions. Let’s see how to use this cmdlet to remove the mailbox export requests.
Using the Remove-MailboxExportRequest Cmdlet in Exchange Server
Before using the Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet, the user account that you will be using must have the Mailbox Import Export role assigned. By default, this role is not assigned to even administrator. So, add the Mailbox Import Export role to a role group and then add the user account to that role group.
After assigning the required role, open the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) and run the cmdlet as given below to remove a particular mailbox export request:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest [-Identity] "John\MailboxToPST1”
The above cmdlet will remove the export request named – John\MailboxToPST1.
In addition, you can use various parameters or switches with the cmdlet. Some common parameters that you can use with this cmdlet are:
1. -Status
The –Status switch is used to remove all the export requests that have a particular status. For example:
Get-MailboxExportRequest –Status Failed | Remove-MailboxExportRequest
This command will remove all the failed mailbox export requests.
Similarly, you can use the below cmdlet to remove all the mailbox export requests that are completed.
Get-MailboxExportRequest -Status Completed | Remove-MailboxExportRequest
2. -Confirm
When you execute the Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet, a confirmation prompt appears to confirm if you want to perform the operation. The -Confirm parameter is used to specify whether you want to see the confirmation prompt or not. Here’s an example:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity <Identity of the repair request> -Confirm:$false
The above cmdlet will not display the confirmation prompt. If you want the cmdlet to show a conformation message, use the $true switch, instead of $false.
3. -Force
This parameter is used to suppress the warning or confirmation messages. Unlike -Confirm, you don’t need to specify any value with -Force parameter. Here’s an example:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity <Identity of the repair request> -Force
This parameter only works in MS Exchange Server 2016 and 2019.
4. -DomainController
This parameter is used to read or write data to or from Active Directory (AD). By using this parameter, you can specify and identify a specific domain controller by its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), such as d01.stellarinfo.com. The syntax is as follows:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity <Identity of the repair request> -DomainController d01.stellarinfo.com
5. -RequestGuid
The -RequestGuid parameter is used to specify the unique identifier for the export request. You can find the GUID of an export request by using the Get-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. However, to use this parameter, you need to specify the -RequestQueue parameter value. Here’s an example:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -RequestQueue DB01 -RequestGuid 1d40cab2-6vc4-5444-c38d-4cb75f2a4d1v
The above command will return the status of export requests created to export mailboxes to PST from Exchange database EDB01.
Note: This parameter cannot be used with the -Identity parameter.
6. –RequestQueue
The -RequestQueue parameter can also be used without the -RequestGuid parameter. This parameter is used to specify the request based on the mailbox database where you want to execute the command. Here’s an example:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -RequestQueue DB01
7. -WhatIf
The -WhatIf parameter is used to check or simulate the outcome of the cmdlet before you execute it. You do not need to specify any value with this parameter. The syntax is as follows:
Remove-MailboxExportRequest -Identity <Export request identity> -DomainController d01.stellarinfo.com -WhatIf
An Alternative Solution Export Mailboxes to PST
To export mailboxes from Exchange database to PST, you need to use the New-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. Then, to check the status of export requests, you can use the Get-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. After that, you need to remove the requests by using the Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet. This is a tedious and time-consuming process. Plus, you also need the permissions and assigned roles to export mailboxes in Exchange Server by using these cmdlets.
To avoid such hassles, you can use Stellar Converter for EDB – an EDB to PST converter software that can export mailboxes from EDB file to PST in just a few simple steps. With this software, you can export up to 4 mailboxes to PST simultaneously. The status of the mailbox export is clearly visible. In addition, you can pause, resume, or remove the export process at any point using the software. Unlike the PowerShell cmdlets, you do not require any permissions to perform the export process. Additionally, you can export mailboxes from the EDB file to Office 365 or live Exchange server directly.
Conclusion
The Remove-MailboxExportRequest cmdlet is used to remove the mailbox export requests that were initiated using the New-MailboxExportRequest. The cmdlet can be used with various parameters and switches to remove specific export request/s. If the cmdlet is not returning the expected output or showing an error, you can modify the export request by using the Set-MailboxExportRequest.
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