Exchange Online · Recipient Management

Mail Recipients

Manage existing mailboxes and recipient settings without the ability to create new mailboxes.

Scope: Existing recipient objects only

Permissions

  • Modify mailbox properties
  • Configure mailbox features
  • Manage mailbox permissions
  • Set out-of-office replies
  • Manage mail forwarding

Common use cases

  • Day-to-day mailbox maintenance
  • Updating user mailbox settings
  • Managing mailbox forwarding and delegation

Best practices

  • Use for operations staff without provisioning needs
  • Suitable for delegated administration scenarios

Common questions

When should I assign the Mail Recipients role?

Assign Mail Recipients when you need to: Day-to-day mailbox maintenance; Updating user mailbox settings; and Managing mailbox forwarding and delegation. It is part of Exchange Online and should be granted as a least-privilege alternative to broader roles like Global Administrator.

What can someone with the Mail Recipients role do?

The Mail Recipients role grants permissions including: Modify mailbox properties; Configure mailbox features; Manage mailbox permissions; Set out-of-office replies; and Manage mail forwarding. See the Permissions section above for the full list.

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