Manage mailbox databases in Exchange
Server
A mailbox database is a unit of granularity where mailboxes are created and
stored. A mailbox database is stored as an Exchange database (.edb) file. In
Exchange 2016 and 2019, each mailbox database has its own properties that
you can configure.
What do you need to know before you begin?
Estimated time to complete each procedure: 10 minutes
To open the Exchange admin center (EAC), see Exchange admin
center in Exchange Server. To open the Exchange Management
Shell, see Open the Exchange Management Shell.
You need permissions before you can perform this procedure or
procedures. To see what permissions you need, see the "Mailbox
databases" entry in the Recipients Permissions topic.
For information about keyboard shortcuts that may apply to the
procedures in this topic, see Keyboard shortcuts in the Exchange
admin center.
Tip
Having problems? Ask for help in the Exchange forums. Visit the forums
at: Exchange Server, Exchange Online, or Exchange Online Protection.
Create a mailbox database
Use the EAC to create a mailbox database
1. From the Exchange admin center (EAC), navigate to Servers.
2. Select Databases, and then click the + symbol to create a
database.
3. Use the new database wizard to create your database.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to create a mailbox
database
For an example of how to create a mailbox database, see Example 1 in New-
MailboxDatabase.
How do you know if this process has worked?
To verify that you have successfully created a database, implement the
following tasks:
From the EAC, verify that the mailbox database you created is
listed on the Databases page.
From the Exchange Management Shell, verify that the database
was created on server Mailbox01 by running the following
command.
PowerShellCopy
Get-MailboxDatabase -Server "Mailbox01"
Get mailbox database properties
For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Get-MailboxDatabase.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to get mailbox database
properties
For an example of how to get mailbox database properties, see Example 3
in Get-MailboxDatabase.
How do you know if this process worked?
To verify that you have successfully retrieved your mailbox database
information, implement the following task:
From the Exchange Management Shell, verify that all your mailbox
database information is represented correctly.
Set mailbox database properties
Use the EAC to set mailbox database properties
1. From the EAC, navigate to Servers.
2. Select Databases, and then click to select the mailbox database
you want to configure.
3. Click Edit to configure the attributes of a mailbox database.
4. Use the General tab to view status about the mailbox database,
including the mailbox database path, last backup, and mailbox
database status:
Database path: This read-only field displays the full
path to the Exchange database (.edb) file for the
selected mailbox database. To view the entire path,
you may have to click the path and use the Right
Arrow key. You can't use this field to change the path.
To change the location of the database files, use
the Move-DatabasePath cmdlet.
Last full backup: This read-only field displays the
date and time of the last complete backup of the
mailbox database.
Last incremental backup: This read-only field
displays the date and time of the last incremental
backup of the mailbox database.
Status: This read-only field displays whether the
mailbox database is mounted or dismounted.
Mounted on server: This read-only field displays
which server the database is mounted on.
Note
This article contains references to the term master, a term that
Microsoft no longer uses. When the term is removed from the
software, we'll remove it from this article.
Master: This read-only field displays the primary
server for the mailbox database. The Mailbox server
that hosts the active copy of a database is referred to
as the mailbox database master.
Master type: This read-only field displays the type of
mailbox database master.
Modified: This read-only field displays the date and
time the database was last modified.
Servers hosting a copy of this database: This read-
only field displays the other servers that have a copy
of this database.
5. Use the Maintenance tab to configure mailbox database settings,
including specifying a journal recipient, setting a maintenance
schedule, and mounting the database at startup:
Journal Recipient: Click Browse to specify a recipient
to enable journaling on this mailbox database.
Remove the recipient listed to disable journaling.
Maintenance schedule: Use this list to select one of
the preset maintenance schedules. You can also
configure a custom schedule. To configure a custom
schedule, click Customize.
Enable background database maintenance (24 x 7
ESE scanning): Select this check box to enable online
database scanning, which runs continuously in the
background. Online database scanning performs a
checksum calculation of the database and performs
operations that allow Exchange to scan for lost space
on the database and recover it. If you select this check
box, Exchange scans the database no more than one
time per day and will issue a warning event if it can't
finish scanning the database in a seven-day period.
Don't mount this database at startup: Select this
check box to prevent Exchange from mounting this
mailbox database when it starts.
This database can be overwritten by a restore:
Select this check box to allow the mailbox database to
be overwritten during a restore process.
Enable circular logging: Select this check box to
enable circular logging.
6. Use the Limits tab to specify the storage limits, the warning
message interval, and the deletion settings for a mailbox
database:
Issue warning at (GB): Select this check box to
automatically warn mailbox users that their mailbox is
approaching its storage limit. To specify the storage
limit, select the check box, and then specify in
gigabytes (GB) how much content can be stored in
the mailbox before a warning email message is sent
to the mailbox users. You can enter a value from 0
through 2,097,151 megabytes (MB) (2.0 terabytes).
Prohibit send at (GB): Select this check box to
prevent users from sending new email messages after
the size of their mailbox reaches the specified limit.
To specify this limit, select the check box, and then
type the size of the mailbox in GB at which you want
to prohibit the sending of new email messages and
notify the user. You can enter a value from 0 through
2,097,151 MB (2.0 terabytes).
Prohibit send and receive at (GB): Select this check
box to prevent users from sending and receiving
email messages after their mailbox size reaches the
specified limit. To specify this limit, select the check
box, and then type the size of the mailbox in GB at
which you want to prohibit the sending and receiving
of email messages and notify the user. You can enter
a value from 0 through 2,097,151 MB (2.0 terabytes).
Keep deleted items for (days): Select this check box
to set the number of days that deleted items are
retained in a mailbox. You can enter a value from 0
through 24,855 days.
Keep deleted mailboxes for (days): Select this check
box to set the number of days that deleted mailboxes
are retained. You can enter a value from 0 through
24,855 days.
Don't permanently delete items until the database
has been backed up: Select this check box to prevent
mailboxes and email messages from being deleted
until after the mailbox database has been backed up.
7. Use the Client Settings tab to select the offline address book
(OAB) for the mailbox:
Offline address book: To select an offline address
book, click Browse, and then select the offline
address book.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to set mailbox database
properties
For an example of how to set mailbox database properties, see Example 1
in Set-MailboxDatabase.
How do you know this process worked?
To verify that you have successfully set the attributes, implement the following
tasks:
Verify that your changes are saved in the EAC.
From the Exchange Management Shell, run the following
command to retrieve mailbox database properties.
PowerShellCopy
Get-MailboxDatabase -Identity MailboxDatabase01 -
Status | Format-List
Move a mailbox database path
For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Move-DatabasePath.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to move a mailbox
database path
For an example of how to set mailbox database properties, see Example 1
in Move-DatabasePath.
How do you know this process has worked?
To verify that you have successfully moved the database path, implement the
following steps:
1. From the EAC, select Servers > Databases, and then click to
select the appropriate mailbox.
2. Click the pen symbol and verify that the database path is correct.
Mount a mailbox database
For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Mount-Database.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to mount a mailbox
database
For an example of how to mount a mailbox database, see Example 1
in Mount-Database.
How do you know whether this process worked?
To verify that you have successfully mounted the mailbox database,
implement the following task:
From the Exchange Management Shell, run the following
command to retrieve mailbox database properties for all mailbox
databases.
PowerShellCopy
Get-MailboxDatabase -IncludePreExchange2013
Dismount a mailbox database
For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Dismount-Database.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to dismount a mailbox
database
For an example of how to dismount a mailbox database, see Example 1
in Dismount-Database.
How do you know whether this process has worked?
To verify that you have successfully dismounted the database, implement the
following steps:
1. From EAC, select Servers > Databases, and then click to select
the appropriate mailbox.
2. Click the pen symbol, and verify that the database status
is Dismounted.
Remove a mailbox database
Use the EAC to remove a mailbox database
1. From the EAC, select Servers > Databases, and then click to
select the appropriate mailbox.
2. Click Delete to remove the mailbox database.
Use the Exchange Management Shell to remove a mailbox
database
For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Remove-MailboxDatabase.
1. Run the following command to remove the mailbox database
MyDatabase.
PowerShellCopy
Remove-MailboxDatabase -Identity "MyDatabase"
2. When you're prompted about whether you're sure that you want
to perform the action, type Y.
3. When the dialog box appears stating that the database was
removed successfully, note the location of the Exchange database
(.edb) file. If you want to remove this file from the hard drive, you
must remove it manually.
How do you know if this process had worked?
To verify that you have successfully removed the mailbox database,
implement the following tasks:
From the EAC, select Servers > Databases.
Verify that the mailbox database has been removed.
