When trying to edit user or mailbox properties in Office 365, you may receive the following error message:
The underlying problem is that you’re trying to modify properties in Office 365 for which your local Active Directory is authoritative.
Properties synchronized from your Active Directory to your Office 365 must be maintained in your Active Directory.
This not only includes properties like given name and surname. Also, various mail properties like mail address and hide from address lists are authoritative in Active Directory even though your mailbox is hosted in Office 365!
What’s Causing This Confusion?
Many admins are challenged by the integration between their local Active Directory and Azure/Office 365 – and with good reason!
Consider the following examples:
- To configure the user name and phone number, you must use Active Directory
- To configure email addresses, you must use the On-Premises Exchange Admin Center
- To assign an Exchange license/mailbox, you must use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (or the Azure Portal)
- To configure mailbox delegation, you must use the Office 365 Exchange Admin Center
- To configure calendar permissions, you must use Exchange Online PowerShell
That’s right! We’re configuring a single user/mailbox – but each of these five changes is done via five different tools/interfaces!
How to Solve This Error Once and for All
To greatly simplify your admin life, install Easy365Manager – a small, lightweight snap-in for Active Directory Users & Computers.
Using Easy365Manager, you can configure all of the above properties in one place:
- Email addresses are now available in user properties
- Office 365 licenses (all of them) are now available in user properties
- Office 365 mailbox delegation is now available in user properties
- Office 365 mailbox calendar permissions are now available in user properties
As an example, check how easily you (or any first-level supporter) can set up calendar delegation:
The following screenshots show how Easy365Manager integrates all this information in AD user and group properties:
If you install Easy365Manager, you will be managing all daily tasks related to AD users and Office 365 mailboxes and licenses in one place:
- You no longer need to worry if AD or Office 365 is authoritative
- You don’t need to switch between multiple admin tools constantly
And as an added bonus:
Watch how easily you can download, install, and configure Easy365Manager in a few minutes:
To try out Easy365Manager download your fully functional 30-day trial here.