"You don't have sufficient permissions" error when you try to remove or make a change to a distribution group

Applies to: Exchange OnlineExchange Server 2016 Enterprise EditionExchange Server 2016 Standard Edition More

PROBLEM

You try to remove or make a change to a distribution group by using the Exchange admin center in Microsoft Exchange Online for Microsoft Office 365 or in on-premises Microsoft Exchange Server. In this situation, you receive the following error message:

You don't have sufficient permissions. This operation can only be performed by a manager of the group.

CAUSE

This issue occurs if you're not a manager of the group. In this situation, you're not listed in the ManagedBy attribute.

SOLUTION

Use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use Exchange Online PowerShell or the Exchange Management Shell

ImportantYou have to be an Exchange Online admin, an Exchange admin, or a member of the "Security Group Creation and Membership" role in the Exchange admin center to perform this procedure.

Take one of the following actions, as appropriate for your situation:
- Connect to Exchange Online by using remote PowerShell. For more information about how to do this, see Connect to Exchange Online using Remote PowerShell.
- On Exchange Server in your on-premises environment, open the Exchange Management Shell.
Make the change that you want to the distribution group by using the appropriate Windows PowerShell cmdlet.

For example, to remove the distribution group, use the Remove-DistributionGroup cmdlet together with the BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck parameter. Here's an example:
```
Remove-DistributionGroup <NameOfGroup> -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck 
```
Note In this cmdlet and in other cmdlets in the "Examples" section, the distribution group is represented by the placeholder <NameOfGroup>.

Examples

Here are some more examples of other Windows PowerShell cmdlets that you can use to manage distribution groups:

To assign ownership of a group, use the Set-DistributionGroup cmdlet, as in the following example:

Set-DistributionGroup <NameOfGroup> -ManagedBy "Admin@contoso.com" -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck

To add a user to a group, use the Add-DistributionGroup cmdlet, as in the following example:
```
Add-DistributionGroupMember -Identity <NameOfGroup> -Member user@contoso.com 
```
To remove a user from a group, use the Remove-DistributionGroup cmdlet, as in the following example:
```
Remove-DistributionGroupMember -Identity <NameOfGroup> -Member user@contoso.com 
```
To check the members list for a group, use the Get-DistributionGroupMember cmdlet, as in the following example:
```
Get-DistributionGroupMember -identity <NameOfGroup>|fl DisplayName,WindowsLiveID,RecipientType 
```

Method 2: Add yourself to the "ManagedBy" attribute

To add yourself to the ManagedBy attribute, follow these steps:

Take one of the following actions, as appropriate for your situation:
- Connect to Exchange Online by using remote PowerShell. For more information about how to do this, see Connect to Exchange Online using Remote PowerShell.
- On Exchange Server in your on-premises environment, open the Exchange Management Shell.
Run the following command:
```
Set-DistributionGroup <group> -ManagedBy @{Add="<value1>", "<value2>", …} -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck 
```
For example, if you're an Exchange Online admin or an Exchange admin who isn't listed in the ManagedBy attribute and you want to make changes to a distribution group that's named Accounting, run the following command to add yourself to the ManagedBy attribute:
```
Set-DistributionGroup Accounting -ManagedBy @{Add=”<Alias>”} -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck 
```
After you do this, you'll be able to change the distribution group.

For more information about the Set-DistributionGroup cmdlet, see Set-DistributionGroup.

REFERENCES

To learn about managing distribution groups that are synced to Office 365 from the on-premises environment, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

2417592 Owners of an on-premises distribution group that's synced to Office 365 can't manage the distribution group in Exchange Online

Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community or the Exchange TechNet Forums.

Last Updated: Dec 16, 2016