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Create a Microsoft 365 group with a specific preferred data location

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When users in a multi-geo environment create a Microsoft 365 group, the group preferred data location (PDL) is automatically set to that of the user. Global, SharePoint, and Exchange Administrators can create groups in any Geography they select.

If you need to create a group with a specific PDL, you can do that using from the SharePoint admin center or through the Exchange Online New-UnifiedGroup Microsoft PowerShell cmdlet. When you do this, both the group mailbox and SharePoint site associated with the group will be provisioned in the specified PDL.

To create a Microsoft 365 group with the PDL that you specify, go to the SharePoint admin center in the Geography location where you want to create the group site.

For example:

If you want to create a group site in your Australia location, you can go to https://ContosoAUS-admin.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/online/AdminHome.aspx#/siteManagement

  1. Select + Create.
  2. Follow the process to create a group site.

Your group site will be provisioned in the Geography location corresponding to the SharePoint admin center from which you initiated the site creation request.

Using Exchange PowerShell

Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell and pass the parameter -MailBoxRegion with the geo location code.

For example:

New-UnifiedGroup -DisplayName MultiGeoEUR -Alias "MultiGeoEUR" -AccessType Public -MailboxRegion EUR

Screenshot of New-UnifiedGroup PowerShell cmdlet with syntax.

Note

SharePoint group site provisioning is on-demand. The site will be provisioned the first time a group owner or member attempts to access it.

Geo location codes

Microsoft 365 Region PreferredDataLocation (PDL) Value
Macro Region Geography 2 - Asia-Pacific APC
Australia AUS
Brazil BRA
Canada CAN
Macro Region Geography 1 - EMEA EUR
France FRA
Germany DEU
India IND
Israel ISR
Italy ITA
Japan JPN
Korea KOR
Norway NOR
Poland POL
Qatar QAT
South Africa ZAF
Sweden SWE
Switzerland CHE
United Arab Emirates ARE
United Kingdom GBR
United States NAM

Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell

Create groups with a specific preferred data location using Graph API