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XADM: How to Disable a Mailbox in Exchange Server

Article ID: 238013 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q238013

SUMMARY

If a user leaves a company, instead of removing that user's mailbox, you may want to keep it, but not allow other users to send mail to or receive mail from it.

In Exchange Server version 5.5, you can use the Exchange Server Administrator program to view the properties of the mailbox, and on the Limits tab, change the settings so that the mailbox cannot send or receive mail.

In Exchange Server version 5.0, the Exchange Server Administrator program only allows you to change the settings so that the mailbox cannot send mail; you cannot prohibit the mailbox from receiving, so other users can still send mail to it.

MORE INFORMATION

To disable a mailbox in either Exchange Server 5.0 or 5.5:

Use the Exchange Server Administrator program to open the mailbox properties.
Click the Advanced tab, click Hide From Address Book, and then click Apply.
Click the Limits tab, and in either the Prohibit Send box (in Exchange Server 5.0) or the Prohibit Send and Receive box (in Exchange Server 5.5), enter either 0 or 1 kilobyte (KB).

NOTE: You can add a user to the Delivery Restrictions tab to reject messages from certain users or accept messages from only certain users.
Click Apply.
Click the E-Mail Addresses tab, and then change the e-mail address for each proxy type (for example, SMTP, X.400, Lotus cc:Mail, and Microsoft Mail) for the user. Add additional characters to the user names, such as "XXX." For example:
XXXsomeone@microsoft.com
NOTE: You can also perform a directory export to a .csv file, modify the e-mail addresses in Microsoft Excel, and then perform a directory import to overwrite the information.

Properties

Article ID: 238013 - Last Review: October 27, 2006 - Revision: 3.2

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Standard Edition

kbhowto KB238013

Retired KB Content Disclaimer

This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.