How to Add the Mailbox Import Export Role in Exchange Online
Question details
The user needs to assign the Mailbox Import Export role in Exchange Online and resolve issues related to the organization customization prompt.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Assigning administrative roles to manage mailbox imports and exports in a Microsoft 365 environment.
- Observed behavior
- Exchange Online prompts administrators to run Enable-OrganizationCustomization before allowing modifications to role groups, causing a delay in role assignment.
Ensure you have the Exchange Online PowerShell module installed and are signed in with an account that holds Organization Management permissions.
Enable Customization and Assign Role via PowerShell
Use this method to hydrate your Exchange Online tenant and assign the Mailbox Import Export role to the required administrators.
Exchange Online requires tenant customization to be enabled before you can create or modify custom role groups. The hydration process may take up to an hour to fully propagate across the Microsoft 365 service.
Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell and run the command: Enable-OrganizationCustomization. Allow up to an hour for this change to propagate before proceeding to the next steps.
To create a new role group, run: New-RoleGroup -Name "Mailbox Import Export Managers" -Roles "Mailbox Import Export". To add it to an existing group, run: New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Import Export" -RoleAssignee "Organization Management".
Add a specific user to your newly created role group by executing the following cmdlet: Add-RoleGroupMember -Identity "Mailbox Import Export Managers" -Member user@yourdomain.com.
Confirm that the role was added successfully by running: Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Import Export" | Format-Table Role,RoleAssigneeName.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Enable-OrganizationCustomization return an error in PowerShell?
If you receive an error stating that customization is already enabled, it means the command was previously executed. If you still cannot create custom role groups, your tenant might still be processing the hydration, which can take up to an hour to finish.
Can I add the Mailbox Import Export role using the Exchange Admin Center (EAC)?
Yes. Once the organization customization process is complete via PowerShell, you can log in to the Exchange Admin Center, navigate to Roles > Admin roles, and add the Mailbox Import Export role to an existing or new role group using the graphical interface.
Who should be assigned the Mailbox Import Export role?
This is a highly privileged administrative role that grants the ability to export and import user mailbox data (such as PST files). It should only be assigned to trusted administrators or compliance officers who strictly require it for data migration or legal discovery.
