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How to Schedule Weekly Exchange Online Message Trace Reports

Steven Parker Oct 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

Exchange administrators are looking for a way to automatically generate and email weekly Message Trace reports for quarantined or spam-filtered messages.

How to Schedule Weekly Exchange Online Message Trace Reports

Product: Exchange Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Automating regular email reports for quarantined and spam messages for administrative review.
Observed behavior: The Exchange Admin Center currently requires administrators to manually run Message Trace searches, lacking a native recurring email report feature.

Before you start

Ensure you have Exchange Administrator or Global Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant before attempting to run or configure message traces.

Solution 1Recommended

Run Message Trace Reports Manually

Since automated scheduling is not natively supported, the primary method is to run the trace manually in the Exchange Admin Center.

This is the standard, Microsoft-supported way to retrieve message trace data for spam, malware, and quarantined items on an as-needed basis.

Access Exchange Admin Center

Navigate to Message Trace

In the left-hand navigation pane, expand 'Mail flow' and select 'Message trace'.

Define Search Criteria

Click 'Start a trace' and input your desired parameters, such as specific senders, recipients, and a custom time range (e.g., the last 7 days).

Generate the Report

Select 'Extended report' to ensure comprehensive details including routing and spam filtering are captured, then click 'Search' or 'Next' to generate and download the report.

Solution 2

Explore PowerShell Automation Alternative

Advanced users can use Exchange Online PowerShell to script and schedule message trace data extraction.

Solution 3

Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft

Voice your need for native scheduling support directly to the Microsoft development team.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Manage Your Administrator Reports with WPS Office

While WPS Office cannot automate Exchange Online message traces, it is an excellent, lightweight alternative for viewing, formatting, and presenting your exported CSV or Excel reports without the heavy cost of a full Microsoft Office subscription.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and CSV formats exported from Exchange Online.Free and lightweight, perfect for quick data analysis and report formatting.Familiar user interface ensuring zero learning curve for administrators.Robust spreadsheet tools for efficiently filtering spam and quarantine data.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I schedule a message trace report natively in Exchange Admin Center?

No, currently the Exchange Admin Center does not support the automatic scheduling and emailing of recurring Message Trace reports. Administrators must run these reports manually or use custom PowerShell automation.

How long is message trace data available in Exchange Online?

Summary message trace data is readily available for the past 10 days. Historical or extended message traces can be requested for messages up to 90 days old, but these may take longer to generate.

What format are extended message trace reports delivered in?

Extended message trace reports are typically delivered as a downloadable CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. These files can be easily opened, formatted, and analyzed in spreadsheet software like WPS Spreadsheet or Microsoft Excel.

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