Does a shared mailbox need a license? The Exchange Online limits that decide it, plus a read-only audit
Does a shared mailbox need a license? The limits that decide it Shared mailboxes are the standard answer for info@, billing@, and the mailbox of someone who left. They're also a common source of quiet licensing gaps: one is over its size limit, another is on a hold with no license, and a third still has an enabled account with a password somebody knows. This post covers the conditions that…
A shared mailbox does not necessarily require a license, but there are specific conditions under which it does. Microsoft's documentation outlines situations where a shared mailbox needs a license, such as when the mailbox exceeds the unlicensed size limit of 50 GB, when an archiving plan requires it, or when litigation hold restrictions apply.
However, even with these requirements, it's important to note that people who access a shared mailbox need their own license, and some security and compliance features may have their own licensing needs. To ensure compliance, perform a read-only audit to check mailbox size, archive status, litigation hold status, and sign-in state.
This audit can be conducted using Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Graph PowerShell, examining the mailbox's properties and license assignments.
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