|
| 1 | + |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +# Get Shared Mailboxes Without Owners |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Summary |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +This script identifies **shared mailboxes that have no assigned owners or members** by analysing mailbox permissions in Exchange Online. It detects shared mailboxes where no user (other than system accounts) has **FullAccess** permissions, indicating the mailbox is effectively unmanaged. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +The output can be used for **governance reviews, access audits, compliance reporting, and remediation planning** in large Microsoft 365 tenants. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## Why It Matters |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +In many organisations, shared mailboxes are created for teams, projects, or business functions. Over time, users leave, teams are restructured, or ownership is never formally assigned. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +Unowned shared mailboxes can: |
| 16 | +- Contain sensitive or regulated data |
| 17 | +- Remain accessible to unintended users |
| 18 | +- Fail internal access control or audit requirements |
| 19 | +- Become unmanaged attack surfaces |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +This script enables administrators to **proactively identify and remediate orphaned shared mailboxes** before they become a security or compliance risk. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +## Benefits |
| 24 | +- Improves mailbox ownership governance |
| 25 | +- Supports security and compliance audits |
| 26 | +- Reduces risk of unauthorised data access |
| 27 | +- Helps maintain least-privilege access |
| 28 | +- Scales efficiently for large Microsoft 365 tenants |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +# [Exchange](#tab/exc) |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +```powershell |
| 34 | +
|
| 35 | +Connect-ExchangeOnline -ShowBanner:$false |
| 36 | +
|
| 37 | +$sharedMailboxes = Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails SharedMailbox -ResultSize Unlimited |
| 38 | +$results = @() |
| 39 | +
|
| 40 | +foreach ($mailbox in $sharedMailboxes) { |
| 41 | +
|
| 42 | + $permissions = Get-MailboxPermission -Identity $mailbox.Identity | |
| 43 | + Where-Object { |
| 44 | + $_.AccessRights -contains "FullAccess" -and |
| 45 | + $_.IsInherited -eq $false -and |
| 46 | + $_.User -notlike "NT AUTHORITY\SELF" |
| 47 | + } |
| 48 | +
|
| 49 | + if ($permissions.Count -eq 0) { |
| 50 | + $results += [PSCustomObject]@{ |
| 51 | + DisplayName = $mailbox.DisplayName |
| 52 | + PrimarySmtpAddress = $mailbox.PrimarySmtpAddress |
| 53 | + MailboxGuid = $mailbox.Guid |
| 54 | + } |
| 55 | + } |
| 56 | +} |
| 57 | +
|
| 58 | +$results |
| 59 | +
|
| 60 | +
|
| 61 | +``` |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +# [Usage](#tab/pnpps) |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +1. Connect to Exchange Online with sufficient permissions: |
| 67 | + - Exchange Administrator or Global Administrator |
| 68 | +2. Run the script |
| 69 | +3. Review the output in the console or pipe it to export formats, for example: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +```powershell |
| 72 | +
|
| 73 | +$results | Export-Csv ".\SharedMailboxesWithoutOwners.csv" -NoTypeInformation |
| 74 | +
|
| 75 | +
|
| 76 | +``` |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +[!INCLUDE [More about PnP PowerShell](../../docfx/includes/MORE-PNPPS.md)] |
| 79 | +*** |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +## Output |
| 83 | +The script returns objects with the following properties: |
| 84 | +- **DisplayName** |
| 85 | +- **PrimarySmtpAddress** |
| 86 | +- **MailboxGuid** |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +Each row represents a shared mailbox with **no assigned owners or members**. |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +## Notes |
| 91 | +- The script evaluates **explicit FullAccess permissions only** |
| 92 | +- Mailboxes managed exclusively via groups will appear as owned only if group permissions are assigned directly |
| 93 | +- Designed for large tenants using server-side filtering and minimal object expansion |
| 94 | +- Can be safely scheduled or integrated into governance reporting workflows |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +## Contributors |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +| Author(s) | |
| 99 | +|-----------| |
| 100 | +| [Josiah Opiyo](https://github.com/ojopiyo) | |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +*Built with a focus on automation, governance, least privilege, and clean Microsoft 365 tenants—helping M365 admins gain visibility and reduce operational risk.* |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +## Version history |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +Version|Date|Comments |
| 108 | +-------|----|-------- |
| 109 | +1.0|Jan 11, 2026|Initial release |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +[!INCLUDE [DISCLAIMER](../../docfx/includes/DISCLAIMER.md)] |
| 113 | +<img src="https://m365-visitor-stats.azurewebsites.net/script-samples/scripts/m365-get-shared-mailboxes-without-owners" aria-hidden="true" /> |
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