How to Delete an Exchange Server Mail Box

Deleting a Microsoft Exchange Server mail box is a relatively simple five step process; however, it is important to note that the mailbox will remain disconnected for thirty days after deletion. This is called the "mailbox retention period," during which you can reconnect your mailbox if you need to.

Deleting a mailbox will not permanently remove it from your server's database; it will only mark it for future deletion. Once the mailbox retention period expires, the mailbox will be permanently deleted from the database. If you do not wish to wait for the mailbox retention period to end, you can permanently delete the mailbox by selecting the "purge" option.

Steps to Delete an Exchange Server Mail Box

• The first step to delete a mailbox in Microsoft Exchange Server is to right click on the desired user in the Active Directory of Users and Computers section of Exchange Server.
• Next, click on Exchange Tasks. This will prompt a wizard to appear and direct you thorough the following steps.
• Once the Exchange Tasks Wizard appears on your monitor, you will see a welcome page. Click the Next button.
• Then press Delete Mailbox.
• Finally, click Next, Next again, and then Finish. During these steps, you may want to look over the information presented to make sure that everything is accurate and that you are sure you want to delete the mailbox. Should you realize that you did not want to delete the mailbox, you can always recover it.

Steps to Recover an Exchange Server Mail Box

If you realize that you should not have deleted one of your mailboxes, you can always recover it, provided that your server's mailbox retention period has not expired for that particular box. In order to recover your deleted mailbox, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Exchange System Manager and locate the mailbox store. Select the deleted mailbox that you wish to recover.
2. Look under the mailbox store and click on the mailboxes object.
3. Right click on the mailboxes object and select the Cleanup Agent.
4. Last, right click on the deleted mailbox and select Reconnect. When a dialog box appears, select the appropriate user and click OK.