How to delete a Distribution Group

You must delete a distribution list in Microsoft 365 because the group is no longer used in the organization. To perform this task, we have Microsoft 365 admin center or Exchange Online PowerShell. The PowerShell method is better because you can quickly remove single or multiple distribution groups. In this article, you will learn how to delete a distribution group in Microsoft 365 admin center and PowerShell.

Delete Distribution Group in Microsoft 365 admin center

To delete a single distribution group in Microsoft 365 admin center, follow these steps:

1. Sign into Microsoft 365 admin center
2. Expand Teams & groups > Active teams & groups
3. Click Distribution list
4. Select the distribution group
5. Click Delete group

6. Click Delete group to confirm

You have successfully deleted a distribution list in the Microsoft 365 admin center. You can also delete a distribution list or mail-enabled security group in the Exchange admin center. The disadvantage is that you can only delete a single distribution group at a time in these portals.

With PowerShell, you can delete single, multiple, and bulk all distribution groups, which we will show you in the next step.

Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell

To be able to run PowerShell commands, you must Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell. Open Windows PowerShell as administrator, run the below cmdlet, and sign in with your admin credentials.

Connect-ExchangeOnline

Remove-DistributionGroup Error: You don’t have sufficient permissions

Each distribution group has at least one manager (owner). It means only the distribution group manager is allowed to perform these management tasks. So when the Exchange Online administrator tries to update the properties of the distribution group with the Remove-DistributionGroup cmdlet, and it’s not the manager of this distribution group, the following error message appears.

Notice that even a user with global administrator credentials can’t remove or make a change to a distribution group. The fact that you are not the distribution group manager could stop you from completing the required management task.

The PowerShell cmdlets you need to use for managing a distribution group include a parameter named -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck. So whenever you try to perform a management task, and the permission error appears, you can add the -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck parameter to the original PowerShell command.

See the below PowerShell command syntax example.

Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity "Distribution Group" -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck

In this case, you don’t have to be the manager (owner) of the distribution group to delete it.

Delete Distribution Group

To delete a distribution list or mail-enabled security group, use the Remove-DistributionGroup PowerShell cmdlet.

We will also add the -Confirm:$false parameter to suppress the confirmation prompt.

See the PowerShell command syntax.

Remove-DistributionGroup "Distribution Group" -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck -Confirm:$false

Run the below PowerShell command example.

Remove-DistributionGroup "SalesUSA@m365info.com" -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck -Confirm:$false

Delete multiple Distribution Groups

To delete multiple distribution groups, you need to use the PowerShell script below.

1. List the distribution groups you want to remove
2. Specify the distribution list group primary SMTP address from line 2
3. Run the below PowerShell script

$DistributionGroups = @(
    "SalesSpain@m365info.com",
    "SalesUK@m365info.com"
)

foreach ($DistributionGroup in $DistributionGroups) {
    Remove-DistributionGroup $DistributionGroup -BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck -Confirm:$false -WhatIf
}

Bulk delete Distribution List Groups

To bulk delete all the distribution list groups, you need to use a PowerShell script.

First, the script will filter out the distribution list groups and then remove them.

Run the below PowerShell script.

$AllDistributionGroups = Get-DistributionGroup -ResultSize Unlimited -Filter { RecipientTypeDetails -eq "MailUniversalDistributionGroup" }

foreach ($DistributionGroup in $AllDistributionGroups) {
    Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity $DistributionGroup.DistinguishedName-BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck -Confirm:$false
}

Bulk delete Distribution List and Mail-Enabled Security Groups

You can also bulk delete all distribution lists and mail-enabled security groups with PowerShell.

Run the below PowerShell script.

$AllDistributionGroups = Get-DistributionGroup -ResultSize Unlimited

foreach ($DistributionGroup in $AllDistributionGroups) {
    Remove-DistributionGroup -Identity $DistributionGroup.DistinguishedName-BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck -Confirm:$false
}

That’s it!

Read more: Force delete Microsoft 365 mailbox with PowerShell »

Conclusion

You learned how to delete a distribution group in Microsoft 365. Both the methods, Microsoft 365 admin center and PowerShell, are great for getting the job done. But with PowerShell, you can also bulk remove all distribution lists and mail-enabled security groups and tweak them to your very own preferences.

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