Services
Summary
Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlets will update output formats for certain database-related properties starting February 2026, completing by April 2026. This change improves performance and consistency but only affects Exchange Online, not on-premises. No user action is required unless scripts parse these values.
Details
Updated January 28, 2026: We have updated timelines for enforcement. The scope of the change remains unchanged. Thank you for your patience.
We're updating the output format of certain properties returned by Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlets to improve performance and align with backend service optimizations. This change reduces unnecessary data retrieval and enhances consistency across services.
When this will happen:
Rollout will begin in February 2026 (previously October 2025) and complete by April 2026 (previously November 2025).
How this affects your organization:
This update changes the string format of specific properties returned by Exchange Online cmdlets. For example, the Database property in the output of Get-Mailbox will change from:
Database : APCP153DG038-db080
to:
Database : APCP153.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM/7ad9dea1-26b7-4088-ad73-708c219faff6
This change applies only to Exchange Online. On-premises Exchange environments are not affected.
We do not expect organizations to have dependencies on these output formats. These values are informational only and not intended for admin control or automation. No changes to user workflows, admin configurations, or help desk processes are expected.
What you can do to prepare:
No action is required. There are no settings or controls to manage this change. If you have scripts that parse these property values, we recommend reviewing them to ensure compatibility.
The complete list of cmdlets impacted is as follows:
| Cmdlet | Output Type |
|---|---|
| Add-DistributionGroupMember | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.ReducedRecipient |
| Get-DistributionGroupMember | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.ReducedRecipient |
| Get-FederatedOrganizationIdentifier | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.FederatedOrganizationIdWithDomainStatus |
| Get-Mailbox | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox |
| New-Mailbox | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan |
| Get-MailboxPlan | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan |
| Get-MailUser | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailUser |
| New-MailUser | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailUser |
| Get-Recipient | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.ReducedRecipient |
| Add-RoleGroupMember | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.ReducedRecipient |
| Get-RoleGroupMember | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.ReducedRecipient |
| New-SyncMailPublicFolder | Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Recipient.ADPublicFolder |
The affected properties for each Output Type are as follows:
| Output Type | Property |
|---|---|
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Recipient.ADPublicFolder | Database |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Recipient.ADPublicFolder | HomeMTA |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.FederatedOrganizationIdWithDomainStatus | DelegationTrustLink |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | Database |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | PreviousDatabase |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | DisabledArchiveDatabase |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | MailboxMoveTargetMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | MailboxMoveSourceMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | MailboxMoveTargetArchiveMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.Mailbox | MailboxMoveSourceArchiveMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | Database |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | PreviousDatabase |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | DisabledArchiveDatabase |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | MailboxMoveTargetMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | MailboxMoveSourceMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | MailboxMoveTargetArchiveMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailboxPlan | MailboxMoveSourceArchiveMDB |
| Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.Management.MailUser | DisabledArchiveDatabase |