Migrate Distribution Lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook
Read time 7 minutes
Distribution Lists and Microsoft 365 Groups play pivotal roles in fostering collaboration among individuals striving for shared objectives. However, Microsoft 365 Groups takes collaboration a step further by seamlessly integrating advanced features like shared calendars, chat, and file sharing. This key distinction is often why users opt to migrate their organization’s distribution lists to Microsoft 365 Groups within Outlook. Such a migration represents a critical endeavor, as it unlocks a myriad of benefits for your team.
The process of migrating distribution lists to Groups is a relatively straightforward one. It involves creating a new Group for each distribution list you intend to migrate, and subsequently, adding all the email addresses linked to the distribution list into the Group.
This can get overwhelming for a few users, but don’t worry; we will walk you through the easiest ways to migrate Distribution Lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook.
Read more about why moving to Microsoft groups in Outlook.
Microsoft 365 Groups allows you to select some users, work with them, communicate with them, and share resources. Also, there is no extra task of giving permissions to each user separately, as adding to the Group automatically provides them with the required permissions.
Groups offer an array of shared features, including a Shared inbox, a Shared files library, a Shared calendar, a Shared OneNote notebook, Guest access, Discoverable content, and user-friendly Group creation capabilities.
The migration of your organization’s distribution lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook is primarily aimed at harnessing the full spectrum of features and functionality. Several viable methods are at your disposal to facilitate this transition, whether through Microsoft 365 options or PowerShell cmdlets.
When you create Microsoft 365 Groups, you will get the following facilities with them.
Managing Groups in Office 365 is a straightforward process, and they can be considered a form of built-in Office 365 backup. The migration of your organization’s distribution lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook is primarily aimed at unlocking a wealth of features and functionalities. Various feasible methods exist to facilitate the transition, whether through Microsoft 365 options or PowerShell cmdlets.
Only cloud-managed and non-nested Distribution Lists can undergo an upgrade to Microsoft 365 Groups.
To transition Distribution Lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook, you have two options: utilize the available options within the Microsoft 365 interface or execute PowerShell commands for a direct migration.
Prior to commencement, it’s crucial to acknowledge that you must possess Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator rights to initiate the procedure.
Now, follow the given steps to migrate one or more Distribution Lists to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook.
Using PowerShell, you can migrate single as well as multiple Distribution Lists, but the cmdlets are different for each operation. For that First, you need to connect Exchange Online to Windows PowerShell manually. Then run these commands in the Exchange Online PowerShell.
To migrate a single Distribution List, run the following cmdlet
At the place of <Dl SMTP address>, provide the SMTP address of your Distribution List
To migrate multiple Distribution Lists, run this cmdlet.
At the place of <DL SMTP address1>, < DL SMTP address2>, < DL SMTP address3>, provide the SMTP respective addresses of your Distribution Lists.
To migrate all eligible Distribution Lists, run any of the following commands.
To get the eligible DLs in the tenant and upgrade them, run the following command –
To get the list of all DLs and upgrade the eligible DLs, run this command
Find and Delete Empty Distribution Lists from Microsoft 365 Account
Once connected to Exchange Online PowerShell, Microsoft 365 users can utilize specific cmdlets to both list all empty distribution lists within the account and subsequently delete them using another cmdlet. Below, you’ll find these essential cmdlets.
To find out all empty distribution lists, run this cmdlet.
This cmdlet execution would list out all the empty distribution lists. If you want to delete each list, we suggest you run this command.
Now, you don’t have any empty distribution list in your account.
Keep following our blogs to seek all sorts of help regarding the cloud environment – Microsoft 365.
Migrating Distribution Lists to Office 365 Groups entails a complex process. Therefore, it’s advisable to perform a backup of your Office 365 data prior to the migration. You can achieve this by utilizing the Kernel Export Office 365 to PST tool, which allows you to comprehensively back up all data, including mailboxes, public folders, archive mailboxes, calendars, contacts, and more, into PST files. Importantly, this tool is compatible with all Office 365 plans.
Thus, this tool is a reliable and user-friendly backup solution that offers a smooth procedure to export Office 365 mailboxes to PST and includes several other unique features. It is an ideal choice for businesses that wish to protect their data from accidental deletion or corruption.
If you seek an efficient method for managing your email distribution lists, migrating them to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook stands as the optimal choice. This process can be accomplished with ease in just a few simple steps. Once completed, you’ll have a streamlined system that significantly simplifies your communication management. Begin your distribution list migration today using our straightforward methods and experience the enhanced ease of communication with your team.
Moreover, it is advisable to backup your Office 365 data via the KernelApps tool before the migration.
