Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox

Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox

This article explains how to use the Exchange admin center to convert an Office 365 user mailbox to a shared mailbox. You can also convert one mailbox type to another, but you'll have to perform these tasks using Exchange PowerShell.   

Convert an Office 365 user mailbox to a shared mailbox    

  1. In the EAC, go to Recipients > Mailboxes.

  2. Select the mailbox that you want to convert.

  3. From the More actions pane, click Convert to regular mailbox or Convert to shared mailbox.

  4. In the pane that opens up, select Confirm.

    The mailbox is converted from its present type to its other type, and the notification message Mailbox converted successfully is displayed.


Convert User Mailbox to Shared using PowerShell

If the procedure above fails, you will need to convert the mailbox through PowerShell. Before using the following commands, you will need to install the Exchange Online PowerShell Module.

  1. Run PowerShell as an Administrator.
  2. Run the following command to install the Exchange Online module: Import-Module ExchangeOnlineManagement
  3. Wait for the install to complete.
Once this is done, you will be able to user PowerShell on your machine to perform administrative tasks on Exchange Online.
  1. With PowerShell running on Administrator mode, please run the following command to connect to Exchange Online: Connect-ExchangeOnline
  2. You will be prompted to enter your admin credentials.
  3. Once signed in, please use the following command to convert the target mailbox to Shared.
    1. Set-Mailbox -Identity <MailboxIdentity> -Type <Regular | Room | Equipment | Shared>
  4. This example converts the shared mailbox named MarketingDept1 to a Shared mailbox:
    1. Set-Mailbox -Identity MarketingDept1 -Type Shared
You may also convert a Shared mailbox back to user, by using the 'Regular' parameter under -Type.

Use the shared mailbox

Once you've converted your user mailbox to a shared mailbox, there's a couple of things you should do:

  • Confirm the user was setup successfully as a Shared Mailbox by going into Groups > Shared Mailboxes in your Office 365 Admin Center.
  • Remove the Office 365 license. A shared mailbox doesn't need a license, but members of the shared mailbox need to have an Office 365 license. Check out Assign or remove licenses for Office 365 for business for details on removing a license.      
  • Add members to the shared mailbox so they can start using it. Select the shared mailbox and click or tap Edit to add members.