Remove a license from a shared mailbox

Shared mailboxes usually don't require a license. Follow these instructions to remove a license from a shared mailbox so that you can either assign it to a user or return the license so that you aren't paying for a license you don't need.

Note

An Exchange Online Plan 2 license is required in the following scenarios:

  • The shared mailbox has more than 50 GB of storage in use.
  • The shared mailbox uses in-place archiving.
  • The shared mailbox is placed in litigation hold.

For step-by-step instructions on how to assign licenses, see Assign licenses to users.

Remove the license

  1. In the admin center, go to the Users > Active users page.

    Note

    You need to remove the license from the Active users page. You can't remove the license from the Shared mailbox page because licenses are user settings.

  1. In the admin center, go to the Users > Active users page.

    Note

    You need to remove the license from the Active users page. You can't remove the license from the Shared mailbox page because licenses are user settings.

  1. Select the shared mailbox.

  2. One the Licenses and Apps tab, expand Licenses and uncheck the box for the license you want to remove.

  3. Select Save changes.

  4. When you return to the Active users page, the status of the shared mailbox will be Unlicensed.

  5. You're still paying for the license. To stop paying for it, remove the license from your subscription.

About shared mailboxes (article)
Create a shared mailbox (article)
Configure a shared mailbox (article)
Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox (article)