Upgrade Your Distribution Lists to Microsoft 365 Groups

Upgrading Distribution Lists (DLs) to Microsoft 365 Groups can greatly improve collaboration in your organization. Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process.

The Upgrade Process

Tenant admins can upgrade DLs to Microsoft 365 Groups, but only if the DL meets certain criteria. Here’s how the process works:

  1. Select the DL: Admins choose the DL they want to upgrade in the Exchange admin center (EAC).
  2. Send Upgrade Request: Admins send an upgrade request to the DL owners.
  3. Owner Decision: DL owners decide whether to approve the upgrade.
  4. Complete the Upgrade: If approved, the DL is converted to a Microsoft 365 Group, including all members and email addresses.

Note: Only admins can start the upgrade process; DL owners cannot do it directly.

Finding Eligible DLs

Use the Get-EligibleDistributionGroupForMigration cmdlet to find DLs that can be upgraded.

Get-EligibleDistributionGroupForMigration -ResultSize unlimited

This command lists all DLs that are eligible for upgrade.

Upgrading the DL

Once you know which DLs are eligible, use the Upgrade-DistributionGroup cmdlet to upgrade them.

Important: Before using this cmdlet, make sure there are no email address policies with the IncludeUnifiedGroupRecipients parameter. Remove and recreate these policies after the upgrade.

Upgrade-DistributionGroup -DlIdentities user@example.com

This command upgrades the specified DL to a Microsoft 365 Group.

Conditions That Prevent Upgrade

Some conditions can prevent a DL from being upgraded. These include:

  • The DL is nested (part of another group or has child groups).
  • The DL is managed on-premises.
  • The DL has more than 100 owners.
  • The DL has only members and no owner.
  • The DL has members whose RecipientTypeDetails value isn’t UserMailbox, SharedMailbox, TeamMailbox, or MailUser.
  • The DL is a forwarding address for a shared mailbox.
  • The DL is part of a sender restriction in another DL.
  • The DL’s alias contains special characters.
  • The DL is a mail-enabled security group.
  • The DL is a dynamic distribution group.
  • The DL was converted to a room list.

These issues must be resolved before the DL can be upgraded.

Troubleshooting Upgrade Failures

If a DL fails to upgrade and no feedback is provided, use the PowerShell script DLT365Groupsupgrade. This script checks for any issues that might block the upgrade. By following the modifications suggested by the script, you should be able to successfully migrate.

Upgrading eligible DLs to Microsoft 365 Groups can significantly enhance collaboration and communication within your organization. By following these steps, tenant admins can ensure a smooth transition and unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365 Groups.

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