How to Find or Recover a Deleted SPO Email Address in Exchange Online
Question details
The administrator needs to find the exact string of an accidentally deleted SPO email address from a shared mailbox to recreate it.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An SPO email address record was accidentally removed from a shared mailbox, and the administrator needs to retrieve the original long address to restore it.
- Observed behavior
- The SPO address is missing from the shared mailbox configuration, and standard interfaces do not display the historically deleted address.
Ensure you have Exchange Administrator permissions and have the Exchange Online PowerShell module installed to run the necessary diagnostic commands.
Search for Existing SPO Addresses via PowerShell
Use Exchange Online PowerShell to check if the SPO address still exists or remains cached in other mailboxes.
This method scans your environment for mailboxes that still have an SPO address attached. If the address was completely deleted, this command might not list it, but it is the primary diagnostic step.
Right-click on the Windows PowerShell icon and select 'Run as administrator'.
Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell using your administrator credentials.
Run the command Get-Mailbox -Filter {EmailAddresses -like "SPO:*"} and review the output to see if the deleted SPO address is listed.
Review Audit Logs and Backups
Check system logs and historical backups to find the original SPO email address string.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an SPO email address in Exchange Online?
An SPO (SharePoint Online) email address is a specific address type automatically generated for objects that possess SharePoint Online licenses. It is primarily related to internal SharePoint Online features and routing.
Can Microsoft Support directly restore a deleted SPO address?
There is currently no official documentation or supported method to automatically restore a deleted SPO address record. However, reaching out to Microsoft Support is recommended, as they may be able to help trace the original address from backend historical logs.
Why didn't the Get-Mailbox command list my deleted SPO address?
The Get-Mailbox command only filters and displays addresses that are currently attached to existing mailboxes. If the SPO address record was completely deleted, it will no longer appear in the command's output.
