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Why Exchange Online Shows an Object ID in the Manager Field
Question details
The user needs to understand why the manager field in Exchange Online displays an object ID instead of the manager's actual name.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing contact properties and user information in a hybrid Active Directory environment after migrating to Entra ID.
- Observed behavior
- Exchange Online displays the manager's object ID in the portal rather than their name, despite Azure AD Connect functioning correctly.
Confirm that your Azure AD Connect is up to date and that the manager's DisplayName is correctly populated in your on-premises Active Directory.
Verify Mailbox Attributes via Exchange Online PowerShell
Check the underlying attributes of the mailbox to confirm that the DisplayName contains the correct name, identifying the issue as a portal display limitation rather than a sync failure.
After migration, Exchange Online sets the mailbox Name attribute to the user ID to prevent duplicate names. Because the portal displays the Name attribute instead of DisplayName, you will see the object ID.
This is a known portal display limitation and not a failure of Azure AD Connect synchronization.
Open PowerShell as an administrator and run 'Connect-ExchangeOnline' to authenticate with your Microsoft 365 tenant credentials.
Execute the command 'Get-Mailbox -Identity <UserEmail> | Format-List Name, DisplayName' to view the user's specific attributes.
Verify that the 'DisplayName' field shows the correct person's name, while the 'Name' field contains the object ID displayed in the portal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the object ID display caused by an Azure AD Connect sync error?
No, this is not a synchronization failure. Azure AD Connect successfully syncs the manager information, but the Exchange Online portal chooses to display the Name attribute (which contains the ID post-migration) instead of the DisplayName.
Does this issue prevent adding users to internal distribution lists?
While the underlying routing still functions, the display of an object ID instead of a name can cause administrative confusion and make it difficult for users to visually confirm they are adding the correct person to a distribution list.
Can I change the portal behavior to show the manager's name?
Currently, this is a known design behavior in the Exchange Online portal after migrations to avoid duplicate names. Administrators must rely on the DisplayName attribute via PowerShell or Entra ID for visual confirmation.
