How to Update Employee Details in the Exchange GAL
Question details
Exchange administrators need to update and propagate employee contact information for users in the Global Address List (GAL).
- Product
- Microsoft Exchange
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Administrators are updating employee profiles in Exchange and need the new information to reflect correctly in the Global Address List for all users.
- Observed behavior
- Users need to know the specific commands for on-premises Exchange, propagation wait times for Exchange Online, and the steps to manually sync the address book in the Outlook client.
Ensure you have Exchange Administrator privileges to modify user properties and manage address lists. Keep in mind that directory propagation times vary significantly depending on whether you are using a cloud-based or on-premises Exchange environment.
Syncing GAL Changes in Exchange Online and Outlook
Follow these steps to ensure cloud-based Exchange updates propagate and to manually force Outlook to download the latest address book.
In Exchange Online environments, the Offline Address Book (OAB) is automatically generated approximately once a day. Administrators do not need to run manual commands, but patience is required as propagation is not instantaneous.
After updating employee details in the Exchange Admin Center, allow approximately 24 to 48 hours for the changes to fully propagate to the Offline Address Book (OAB).
To force the update on a user's machine, open the Outlook desktop application. Click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner, then click the 'Account Settings' button.
From the drop-down menu that appears under Account Settings, select 'Download Address Book...'.
In the dialog box, ensure 'Download changes since last Send/Receive' is checked, choose your Global Address List from the drop-down menu, and click 'OK' to initiate the download.
Manually Updating GAL for On-Premises Exchange
Use Exchange Management Shell commands to force an immediate update of the Global Address List on local Exchange servers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Exchange Online GAL changes not showing up immediately?
In Exchange Online, the Offline Address Book (OAB) is typically generated only once a day. Because of this cycle and cloud syncing processes, it can take between 24 and 48 hours for changes made in the GAL to fully propagate to all users' offline address books.
How can users force Outlook to sync the latest employee details?
Users can manually pull the latest directory updates by opening Outlook, navigating to File > Account Settings > Download Address Book, making sure 'Download changes since last Send/Receive' is checked, and clicking OK.
What PowerShell command updates the GAL in on-premises Exchange?
Exchange administrators managing local servers can use the 'Update-GlobalAddressList' cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell to manually trigger an update for the Global Address List, bypassing the automated schedule.
