Microsoft 365 - Shared Mailbox Account Deactivation Process

A shared mailbox will enter the deactivation process when:

• has no forward on the account.

and

• has no assigned permissions (full mailbox, send-as, and/or send on-behalf of)

Note: A redirect Inbox Rule does not satisfy the forwarding requirement to keep a Shared Mailbox active.

When a shared mailbox enters the deactivation process, the following will occur:

• for the next 90 days, authorized administrator(s) will receive a notification every 30 days. If no authorized administrator exists, the notifications will be sent to the domain administrators of the email domain the account exists in.
• If the account does not have a forward set or at least one assigned permissions (full mailbox, send-as, and/or send on-behalf of) within the 90 days, it will get permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. All data within the account can no longer be restored.

Below is the standard account deactivation email notification domain or authorized administrators will receive when a shared mailbox enters the deactivation process:

From: pcs@doit.wisc.edu
Subject: Deactivation scheduled for Microsoft 365 Shared Mailbox: bbadger_mailplus
Body:

--> This is an automated message sent from DoIT Productivity & Collaborative Solutions about a Shared Mailbox going through deactivation.

Hello,
The following Microsoft 365 Shared Mailbox is going through deactivation and will be deleted on March 11, 2026

Shared Mailbox details:

Primary address: bbadger_mailplus@wisc.edu
Alternate addresses: bbadger@mailplus.wisc.edu
Display name: Bucky Badger
Description: used for campus mailings

You are receiving this email because you are either:
 - An Authorized Administrator on the account, or
 - An Administrator for the mailplus.wisc.edu M365 domain

Recommended actions:
 - If you still need the Shared Mailbox: You must add at least one user with permissions to the account (full mailbox, send as or send on behalf) or set up a forward on the account
 - If the Shared Mailbox is no longer needed: Delete the account

Shared Mailboxes can be viewed and modified from the Wisc Account Administration site. For more information, see the following KnowledgeBase article: https://kb.wisc.edu/156933.

If you have any questions, please contact the DoIT Help Desk: https://it.wisc.edu/help

Thank you,
Microsoft 365 Service and Support Team

A shared mailbox must either have a forward or at least one mailbox permissions (full mailbox, send-as, and/or send on-behalf of) assigned to the account.

Microsoft 365 - Manage Full Mailbox, Send As, and Send on Behalf of Permissions

Microsoft 365 - Set/Manage a Forward on a NetID, Shared Mailbox, or Service Account