Create a Microsoft 365 group with a specific preferred data location

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 

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

Geo location	Code	eDiscovery data location
Macro Region Geography 2 - Asia-Pacific	APC	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
Australia	AUS	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
Brazil	BRA	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
Canada	CAN	- eDiscovery (Premium): Canada datacenters - eDiscovery (Standard): US datacenters
Macro Region Geography 1 - EMEA	EUR	Europe datacenters
France	FRA	Europe datacenters
Germany	DEU	Europe datacenters
India	IND	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
Israel	ISR	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
Italy	ITA	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
Japan	JPN	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
Korea	KOR	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
Macro Region Geography 3 - Americas	NAM	US datacenters
Norway	NOR	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
Poland	POL	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
Qatar	QAT	(eDiscovery data location coming soon)
South Africa	ZAF	Europe datacenters
Sweden	SWE	Europe datacenters
Switzerland	CHE	Europe datacenters
United Arab Emirates	ARE	Southeast or East Asia datacenters
United Kingdom	GBR	Europe datacenters

Related topics

Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell

Create groups with a specific preferred data location using Graph API