Managing Hosted Exchange Users
Overview
Users are individuals with mailboxes in your Hosted Exchange account, and you can manage them within the Control Panel.
In this article, we will discuss managing your HEX users. Once in the Control Panel, you will see a list of existing users and the enabled services associated with each user in the Users tab.
For more information, please select from the options below:
Note: For instructions on adding users, please see How Do I Get Started with Microsoft Hosted Exchange?
- Types of Users
- How to Manage the User Settings
- How to Delete Users
- How to Create Mailboxes
- How to Delete Mailboxes
Types of Users
Below are the different types of existing users you can view and manage:
- User with no icon – please see the Example User in the above image for reference. This is an active user. You can do the following actions for this user:
icon - please see Former Employee in the above image for reference. This user's mailbox has been disabled, which means the user cannot access their mailbox until the administrator enables it.
icon - please see SharePoint Owner in the above image for reference. When SharePoint is installed, all users can access it. However, there is only one SharePoint Owner. You cannot remove this user. You can update this user only if you are an administrator.
icon – an external user using an external email address.
How to Manage the User Settings
General Settings
You can execute the actions listed below within the general settings. Just click the user’s Display Name after clicking the Users tab when you log in to the Control Panel.
- Reset password – this allows you to reset your password by entering it manually or generating it automatically through the Generate Password link.
- Edit user password settings – this allows you to restrict the user from changing their password or force them to change their password the next time they log in.
- Edit user info – this allows you to edit the user’s information such as First Name, Last Name, Company, Job Title, etc.
- Set user permissions – this allows you to assign permissions to individual users.
- Disable user – when you disable a user through the Control Panel, you can no longer access any information or data associated with the selected user unless you re-enable it.
Basic Services
The Basic Services section allows you to enable or disable services (e.g., Exchange, ShareSync, Skype for Business, SharePoint, etc.) for selected users.
Listed below are basic services you can enable or disable for each user in your Hosted Exchange account:
- Exchange – You need to enable this service to enable other services connected to the Exchange server (e.g., ActiveSync, BlackBerry, User-based Email Encryption, etc.). Your emails, contacts, and calendar are saved in your Exchange mailbox.
- ShareSync – this service allows you to back up your folders and files and sync them on your mobile devices, desktop, or the web.
- Skype for Business – a software application that allows videoconferencing and instant messaging.
- SharePoint – a platform you can use to save, organize, access, and share information. It is primarily used as a storage system and for managing documents.
- POP/IMAP Mailboxes – Using POP allows you to access your email offline but deletes it from your server, while IMAP syncs all your messages on your devices without deleting it from the server.
- OWA-only Mailboxes – has the same functionalities as Exchange. However, it is only accessible through the Outlook Web App.
- Email Archiving – this service allows you to save and protect the data in your emails and enables you to retrieve them.
When enabling a service, you can update the settings related to the service chosen. For instructions on enabling services, please see Adding a Mailbox in How Do I Get Started with Microsoft Hosted Exchange?
How to Delete Users
To delete users, follow the steps below:
- Log in to your Hosted Exchange Control Panel.
- Click on the Users tab to see your list of existing users under Display Name.
- Next, check on the box(es) beside the user(s) you want to remove, then click the Delete Selected Users button.
- You will then see the users you selected to delete and the associated services that will be disabled. Click Confirm.
You cannot remove users with licenses assigned to them (e.g., SharePoint). To delete the user, you must unassign the licenses and update the ownership before deletion.
Note: Deleting a user is different from disabling a user. To disable a user, you must go to the general settings and click Disable User. When you disable a user, you can no longer find any information associated with the disabled user. You can only access them by re-enabling the user.
How to Create Mailboxes
For instructions on how to create mailboxes, please see How Do I Get Started with Microsoft Hosted Exchange?
How to Delete Mailboxes
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Log in to your Hosted Exchange Control Panel.
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Click on the Services tab, then select Mailboxes.
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Next, select Exchange Mailboxes, then uncheck the box of the mailbox(es) you want to delete.
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Click the Proceed button.
Note: When you delete a mailbox, the user will lose all attributes and data associated with that specific mailbox. However, for 30 days, the data will still be stored on the server right after you delete the mailbox. During the 30-day period, you can still reconnect the mailbox and restore it. If the mailbox is not reconnected within 30 days, it will be purged after 30 days. To reconnect the mailbox, you need to submit an Extended Service Request through the Support tab, then select Undelete a mailbox.