Summary: There are various situations where you need to restore a mailbox in the Exchange server. You can use one of the many methods elaborated here to recover mailboxes from an EDB file effectively. An Exchange recovery software is also a recommended solution to recover mailboxes even from dismounted or corrupted Exchange databases.
Restoring mailboxes from EDB files is essential to recover your crucial data and for business continuity. EDB files store the entire mailbox database and thus restoring them ensures recovering the entire data efficiently.
There are various scenarios where you need to restore mailboxes from the EDB files. Some of these cases include:
- Restore mailboxes from EDB file when Log files are corrupted.
- Accidental deletion of mailboxes.
- Restore mailboxes after Exchange server failure at the time of data migration or Exchange server upgrade.
- Restore mailboxes from EDB when they get corrupted due to backup failures such as incomplete backups, disk failure during backup. This corruption can prevent access to important mailbox items.
Let us look at the methods that you can use to restore mailboxes from an EDB file.
Method 1: Restore mailbox from EDB file using EAC and EMS
If a mailbox is deleted in an EDB file, it remains stored in the original EDB file as a disconnected mailbox for a period of 30 days after deletion. After this retention period, the mailboxes are permanently deleted or purged. While the mailboxes are still in the EDB file as disconnected mailboxes, you can restore them using EAC or EMS.
However, before proceeding with the recovery process, you need to create a temporary AD user. Now, connect the mailbox you need to restore with the temporary AD user. For this, you can use the following PowerShell cmdlet on the Exchange management shell as shown below:
Connect-Mailbox -Identity "John" -Database MBXDB01 -User "Robin Wood" -Alias robinwAlternatively, you can use EAC to connect the mailbox to the AD user account. Here are the steps:
- Login to EAC and navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes.
- Click on More Options and select Connect a mailbox.
- On the next screen, you will see a list of disconnected mailboxes on the selected Exchange Server. Select the deleted mailbox you want to connect to the user account and click Connect.
- Select the “No, I want to connect to a different user account” option to connect a mailbox to a new AD user account.
- Select the new AD user account from the list to connect the mailbox.
This process will connect the disconnected user mailbox to a non-mail-enabled user account.
Once you connect the mailbox to the AD user account, you can restore it on the Exchange server using the New-MailboxRestoreRequest PowerShell cmdlet. See example below:
New-MailboxRestoreRequest -SourceStoreMailbox e4890ee7-79a2-4f94-9569-91e61eac372b -SourceDatabase AbhayDB01 -TargetMailbox "Anubhuti" –AllowLegacyDNMismatchThe AllowLegacyDNMismatch parameter used in the command will recover the source mailbox to a different mailbox that does not have the same legacy DN value.
The above command will restore the deleted mailbox to the target mailbox – ‘Anubhuti’
You can view the status of the mailbox restore process, using the Get-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet.
Once the process is complete, the deleted mailbox will be recovered from the chosen source mailbox.
Method 2: Restore Mailbox from EDB File Using a Backup
Whether you want to restore a deleted mailbox after its retention period has expired or you need to restore a mailbox from a damaged or decommissioned Exchange server, you can use a healthy backup of the server. Here are the steps to restore mailboxes from an EDB file using a server backup.
Note: For demonstration purposes, we are using System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM). This method is applicable for Exchange versions 2016 and 2019. If you want to restore mailboxes from the Exchange server of any older version, you can use Windows Server Backup.
Step 1: Recover the mailboxes using Data Protection Manager (DPM)
Data Protection Manager (DPM) is used for backup and recovery purposes as part of the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) strategy. Using DPM, you can create an application-level backup of the Exchange server. To restore a mailbox using DPM, you can restore a backup that was created before the mailbox was deleted.
However, before you start the restore process, you need to ensure that you fulfil prerequisites to use DPM on the Exchange server.
Let us now look at the steps to restore a mailbox from the server backup using DPM.
First, verify Exchange server protection and mailbox database existence. Use the New-MailboxDatabase cmdlet to create a new database if it is not present. Then use Set-MailboxDatabase cmdlet to configure recovery database settings.
Finally, follow these steps to use DPM to restore mailboxes from EDB:
- Create a recovery database (RDB) using the New-MailboxDatabase cmdlet. Use the Set-MailboxDatabase to configure the database and allow it to be overwritten with the recovered database. See the example below:
New-MailboxDatabase -Recovery -Name RDB-CONTROL -Server E2K13-MBX1 Set-MailboxDatabase -Identity 'RDB-CONTROL' -AllowFileRestore $true- Run the DPM Administrator Console, navigate to the Recovery view and then to the mailbox database you want to recover.
- Select a date and recovery point following Recovery time > Recover.
- The Recovery Wizard will open. Review your recovery selection and click on Next.
- Specify the type of recovery and click Next.
- In the Specify Recovery Options page, do the following:
- Clear the “Mount the databases after they are recovered” checkbox if you do not want to mount the databases.
- Select Modify to enable Network bandwidth usage throttling.
- Select Enable SAN-based recovery using hardware snapshots if applicable.
- On the Summary page, review your recovery settings and select Recover. When the recovery is completed, click on Close.
Step 2: Restore the mailboxes using Recovery Databases (RDB)
After the recovery process has finished, the required mailbox is not completely restored. The mailbox database to which the mailbox belongs is only restored to the Recovery mailbox database that you created in the first step. You can restore the mailbox to the required mailbox database using the New-MailboxRestoreRequest cmdlet. See the example below:
New-MailboxRestoreRequest -SourceDatabase 'RDB-CONTROL' -SourceStoreMailbox 'mailbox name' -TargetMailbox <name>@contoso.com -TargetRootFolder Recovery -SkipMerging StorageProviderForSourceYou must add \-SkipMerging StorageProviderForSource to the command to avoid any error.
After you have completed the restore process, you can dismount and delete the Recovery Mailbox database by running the Remove-MailboxDatabase PowerShell cmdlet.
Method 3– Recover Server and Restore Mailboxes
In case of a disaster where the Exchange server is destroyed, you need to rebuild the Exchange server using the Setup.exe /Mode:RecoverServer command. The command uses the Exchange server settings stored in Active Directory at the time of the installation of Exchange on a new server with the same name. However, if you want to recover mailboxes with this method, please prepare a new server that has the same name as the lost server and install the proper operating system.
Limitations of Using Manual Methods to Restore Mailboxes
The manual methods mentioned above will help you to restore mailboxes from an EDB file. However, you should be aware about the drawbacks and limitations of these methods.
- The database containing the mailbox that you need to recover should be connected to the server. If the database is corrupted, the manual methods will not work.
- These methods are time-consuming and require a lot of technical expertise.
- Some methods are version-specific and may not work with other Exchange versions.
- You require additional permissions to use these methods.
Method 4: Restore Mailbox from EDB file using Stellar Repair for Exchange
For a quick and efficient mailbox restore process, you can use Stellar Repair for Exchange. It is a trusted and reliable Exchange Mailbox Recovery software recommended by Exchange admins, MVPs, and professionals.
The advanced recovery solution is designed to restore mailboxes from damaged and corrupt Exchange Database (EDB) files. It also allows users to restore journals, calendars, contacts, emails, tasks, attachments, and more. You can also use this software to save the recovered data in various formats, including PDF, EML, HTML, MSG, RTF, and PST.
A standout feature of Stellar Repair for Exchange is its ability to export a recovered EDB file to live Exchange servers and Office 365, thus simplifying the recovery process when compared to the manual methods.
The Bottom Line
Restoring mailboxes from EDB files is an essential part of Exchange Server management. You may need to restore the Exchange mailboxes in case of database corruption, accidental deletion or server crash. There are manual methods used to restore the mailboxes on the Exchange server. In case of accidental deletion, you can use EAC or PowerShell cmdlets in EMS. For database corruption or server crash, you can use a backup of the server to extract and restore mailboxes on the server. However, there are some limitations associated with the manual methods. To avoid these limitations, you can use Stellar Repair for Exchange to restore mailboxes form even severely corrupted databases using the EDB file in less time and with fewer permissions.
