📙 Tutorial: Adding Email alias in Office 365, Exchange or Active-Directory

There are several ways to add email aliases to Office 365. In this blog, we'll take a look at the different methods by which you can add an alias.

The first method we will discuss is the "Cloud only" method. This means that the identities, groups, or mailboxes are not known in the on-premises exchange or on-premises Active Directory (AD).

After that, we'll explain how to set up an alias in an Exchangehybrid environment, where the identities are known in the Active Directory. These identities are on-premises and are synced with Azure AD via Azure AD Connect.

This procedure works for mailboxes, groups, resources, shared mailboxes, equipments, and rooms. If you have any questions or experience any ambiguities, please do not hesitate to comment in the chat at the bottom of this blog.

What is an alias in Office 365?

One Exchangealias in Office 365 is an additional email address associated with a user's account. This can be useful if you want to give users the ability to receive email from multiple addresses.

To create a Exchangealias to a user's account, you'll need to go to the Office 365admin center. Go to the "Users" section and select the user you want to add an alias to. Next, go to the "Email Addresses" tab and click "Add". Enter the email address you want to use as an alias and select the appropriate domain, then click "Save".

Once the alias is added, users can receive email to both the primary email address associated with their account and the additional alias address. They can also choose which address to use when sending email and can switch between addresses as needed.

In general, Exchange-aliases in Office 365 be a useful feature, as they provide flexibility and convenience for users who need to use multiple email addresses.

How to add an alias in Office 365 – Cloud only

Cloud Only means that you have not synchronized identities, distribution groups or shared mailboxes from the local Active Directory server.

Add an alias via Exchange Control Panel

Browse to the Exchange Control Panel: http://outlook.office.com/ecp

Select mailboxes

Choose a user, group, shared mailbox where you want to add an alias.

Then select email address.

Select +

Select email address type: SMTP
Enter an email address
Choose OK

Your alias has been successfully added.

How to add an alias via Microsoft's Admin Center

Navigate to: https://admin.microsoft.com/

Search for the desired user

Open the user settings by clicking on the name.

Add the alias in the field below

Select Add.

This operation can also be used with a shared mailbox.

How to add an alias in Exchange Online Add via PowerShell?

Login in Exchange Online via these commands and add an alias via this command.

Connect-ExchangeOnline

Set-Mailbox "info" -EmailAddresses @{add="info2@365tips.be"}

On-premises, this can be done with the remote-mailbox command:

Set-RemoteMailbox "info" -EmailAddresses @{add="info2@365tips.be"}

On-premises management of mail properties

This procedure is approximately valid for Exchange 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019.

If you sync users, groups from the local Active Directory servers, it is also necessary to do the recipient management there.

In a hybrid scenario , you have the Recipient management on-premises. And the rights of mailboxes online.

You can check in Azure AD When users are synced via: https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_IAM/UsersManagementMenuBlade/MsGraphUsers

Or via Azure Active Directory – Azure AD connect Blade – https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_IAM/ActiveDirectoryMenuBlade/AzureADConnect

You may get these error messages:

• An Azure Active Directory call was made to keep object in sync between Azure Active Directory and Exchange Online. However, it failed. Detailed error message: Unable to update the specified properties for on-premises mastered Directory Sync objects or objects currently undergoing migration. RequestId : 2b848154-0873-.... The issue may be transient and please retry a couple of minutes later. If issue persists, please see exception members for more information.

• The operation on mailbox "First Last" failed because it's out of the current user's write scope. The action 'Set-Mailbox', 'EmailAddresses', can't be performed on the object 'First Last' because the object is being synchronized from your on-premises organization. This action should be performed on the object in your on-premises organization.

You can then adjust these settings on the on-premises AD because recipient management is an on-premise privilege.

Open the local Active Directory Users & Computers.

At the top, select 'view' -> Advanced Features

Open the desired user -> Select properties.

Add an alias attribute via Active Directory.

On User Properties, select -> Attribute Editor

Add a smtp:test2@365tips.be proxyAddresses. (prefix + suffix / domain)

Force a Azure AD Synchronization via this blog — to ensure that the changes from the e-mail address to Office 365 will be synced.

The alias has been added. You can validate this via: https://outlook.office.com/ECP

Search for the user — Select email addresses.

Validate that the aliases have been set.

An alias in Exchange Add on-premises and sync to Office 365

Browse on the on-premises exchange server to: the ECP URL and log in with a Exchange Administrator or with a Domain Administrator Account.

Navigate to: https://localhost/ecp/

Select Mailboxes -> Choose the mailbox you want.

Changed e-mail addresses.

Do a Azure AD Sync:

Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta

The aliases are now synced to Azure AD / Office 365.

An alias in Exchange Online Add via PowerShell

Login in Exchange Online via these commands and add an alias via this command.

'Connect-ExchangeOnline'

Set-Mailbox "info" -EmailAddresses @{add="info2@365tips.be"}

On-premises, this can be done with the remote-mailbox command:

Set-RemoteMailbox "info" -EmailAddresses @{add="info2@365tips.be"}

Also read

Restore one mailbox in another mailbox when deleting – Exchange Online
Restore Exchange Emails – New Exchange Portal– Online
Install the new Exchange Online PowerShell V2 module
Mailbox management via Hybrid Exchange