Commands › Exchange Online

Update-DistributionGroupMember

Exchange Online ExchangeOnlineManagement Update-*

Replace all members of distribution groups and mail-enabled security groups. To add or remove existing group members, use the Add-DistributionGroupMember and Remove-DistributionGroupMember cmdlets.

Quick start script

# Update-DistributionGroupMember — quick start (serv365.ai)
# 1. Connect (app-only shown; interactive: omit the certificate parameters)
Connect-ExchangeOnline -CertificateThumbprint $thumb -AppId $appId -Organization $org

# 2. Capture the current state first — you cannot roll back what you never recorded
$before = Get-DistributionGroupMember
$before | Format-List

# 3. Make the change (dry run first)
Update-DistributionGroupMember -Identity <DistributionGroupIdParameter> -WhatIf
Update-DistributionGroupMember -Identity <DistributionGroupIdParameter>

# 4. Verify and diff
$after = Get-DistributionGroupMember
Compare-Object ($before | Out-String) ($after | Out-String)

Syntax

Update-DistributionGroupMember [-Identity] <DistributionGroupIdParameter>
 [-BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck]
 [-Confirm]
 [-DomainController <Fqdn>]
 [-Members <MultiValuedProperty>]
 [-WhatIf]
 [<CommonParameters>]

Parameters (6)

Parameter	Type	Required	What it controls
-Identity	DistributionGroupIdParameter	yes	The Identity parameter specifies the distribution group or mail-enabled security group that you want to modify. You can use any value that uniquely identifies the group. For example:
-BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck	SwitchParameter		The BypassSecurityGroupManagerCheck switch specifies whether to allow a user who isn't an owner of the group to modify or delete the group. You don't need to specify a value with this switch.
-Confirm	SwitchParameter		The Confirm switch specifies whether to show or hide the confirmation prompt. How this switch affects the cmdlet depends on whether the cmdlet requires confirmation before proceeding.
-DomainController	Fqdn		This parameter is available only in on-premises Exchange.
-Members	MultiValuedProperty		The Members parameter specifies the recipients (mail-enabled objects) that replace the current group members. You can use any value that uniquely identifies the recipient. For example:
-WhatIf	SwitchParameter		The WhatIf switch shows what the command does without making any changes. You don't need to specify a value with this switch.

Reference facts derived from Microsoft documentation, © Microsoft, licensed CC BY 4.0; restructured with original guidance by serv365.ai.