Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-01-31

This topic explains how to use either the Exchange Management Shell or the Exchange Management Console to recover a deleted mailbox. Deleted mailbox retention allows you to recover mailboxes after they were deleted. You must configure the Exchange server for deleted mailbox retention, and the mailbox recovery must occur during the retention period. In Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, the default retention period is 30 days.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Organization Administrator role

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Procedure

To recover a deleted mailbox using the Exchange Management Console

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console.

  2. In the console tree, expand Recipient Configuration.

  3. In the console tree, click Disconnected Mailbox.

  4. In the action pane, click Connect to Server to list all the disconnected mailboxes on a given server. In the Connect to Server dialog box, enter the name of the server that you want, and then click Connect.

    Note:
    If you want to set the server as the default, select the Set as Default Server check box.

  5. Follow the steps in the Connect Mailbox wizard to reconnect the disconnected mailbox.

To recover a deleted mailbox using the Exchange Management Shell

  1. To find disconnected mailboxes, run the following Exchange Management Shell command:

    Copy Code 
    Get-MailboxStatistics -Server <server> | where { $_.DisconnectDate -ne $null } | select DisplayName,DisconnectDate

  2. To reconnect a disconnected mailbox where the user object is still in Active Directory directory service, run the following Exchange Management Shell command:

    Copy Code 
    Connect-Mailbox -Database <Mailbox_database > -Identity <Deleted_Mailbox>

For More Information

For syntax information and examples, see Get-MailboxStatistics and Connect-Mailbox.

For more information about deleted mailbox retention, see How to Configure Deleted Mailbox Retention.