Add an Alias to a Distribution Group in Exchange Online (Office365), and Removing one...
Looking back to BPOS, the only way to add an alias to a distribution group, was by using DirSync, as described here:
With the arrival of Office365, and Exchange Online, time to see if it is possible now to have one distribution group with multiple email aliasses, even without using DirSync.
Goal = have a distribution group, with 3 email addresses: Sales@sir.onmicrosoft.com,Sales@vancriekinge.be, and info@sir.onmicrosoft.com
First I will create the new distribution group, using the Exchange Control Panel. I sign into OWA, and from there click on Options, and select to manage My Organization, and from there I create a new distribution group called Sales:
Now time to add the two other addresses…
Option 1. Use the Exchange Control Panel
When selecting the distribution group Sales, and clicking on Details, I can see there is currently one e-mail address, and no Add button:
But when going to the General options, I can see that I can change the e-mailaddress of the group, and that the existing addresses will be kept!
So I enter Info in the E-Mail address, and press Save:
When checking the E-Mail Options, I can see there are now two e-mail addresses for my distribution group:
But no option to remove any of these…
Option 2. Using the Exchange Management Shell
Easy 
After connecting to Exchange Online, I will use a variable to add the e-mail address of info@vancriekinge.be to the distribution group.
PS C:\Users\ilse> $sales = Get-DistributionGroup sales
PS C:\Users\ilse> $sales.EmailAddresses
SMTP:Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
smtp:Sales@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
PS C:\Users\ilse> $sales.EmailAddresses += "sales@vancriekinge.be"
PS C:\Users\ilse> $sales.EmailAddresses
SMTP:Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
smtp:Sales@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
sales@vancriekinge.be
PS C:\Users\ilse> Set-DistributionGroup -Identity Sales -EmailAddresses $sales.EmailAddresses
PS C:\Users\ilse> Get-DistributionGroup salesName DisplayName GroupType PrimarySmtpAddress
---- ----------- --------- ------------------
Sales Sales Universal Info@Sir.onmicrosof...PS C:\Users\ilse> Get-DistributionGroup sales | fl *emailad*
EmailAddresses : {smtp:sales@vancriekinge.be, SMTP:Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com, smtp:Sales@Sir.onmicrosoft.com}
EmailAddressPolicyEnabled : False
WindowsEmailAddress : Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
Check via ECP, and it’s done
Using the Shell, it’s different to remove an e-mail address:
PS C:\Users\ilvancri> Get-DistributionGroup sales | fl *emailad*
EmailAddresses : {smtp:sales@vancriekinge.be, SMTP:Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com, smtp:Sales@Sir.onmicrosoft.com}
EmailAddressPolicyEnabled : False
WindowsEmailAddress : Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.comPS C:\Users\ilvancri> Set-DistributionGroup -Identity Sales -EmailAddresses 'smtp:sales@sir.onmicrosoft.com','SMTP:info@sir.onmicrosoft.com'
PS C:\Users\ilvancri> Get-DistributionGroup sales | fl *emailad*EmailAddresses : {SMTP:info@sir.onmicrosoft.com, smtp:sales@sir.onmicrosoft.com}
EmailAddressPolicyEnabled : False
WindowsEmailAddress : Info@Sir.onmicrosoft.com
A check in ECP reveals the e-mail address sales@vancriekinge.be is gone…
Option 3. Using the Exchange Management Console
As blogged before (http://blogs.technet.com/b/ilvancri/archive/2011/10/14/exchange-online-change-primary-smtp-address-without-changing-sign-in-address.aspx) it is possible to install the Exchange Management Console, and use it to connect to your Exchange Online environment, even if you do not have a Hybrid setup with an Exchange On Premises.
Using the Exchange Management Console, you can go to the properties of your distribution group, and add/remove e-mail addresses as you need:
Exchange rocks!
Ilse
Comments
Anonymous
December 18, 2011
Thanks for helping me to remove some mail addresses from a Distribution Group: great! Simple, of course... ;)Anonymous
November 12, 2015
Great post from your hands again. I loved the complete article.
By the way nice writing style you have. I never felt like boring while reading this article.
I will come back & read all your posts soon. Regards, Lucy.Anonymous
December 03, 2015
The comment has been removed