Exchange attributes after Exchange Server uninstall

What happens to the Exchange attributes after you uninstall the last Exchange Server? Will the Exchange attributes be removed with the Exchange Server uninstall process, or will they remain? Let’s look at the Exchange Server attributes after uninstalling Exchange Server.

Find Exchange Server attributes

To find the Exchange Server attributes, follow the below steps:

• Start Active Directory Users and Computers
• Right-click a user and click on Properties
• Select the tab Attribute Editor
• Go to the msExch* attributes

Not all the msExch* values need to be set. It’s completely normal when values are not set.

Note: Exchange Server integrates with the Active Directory schema. If you remove Exchange Server, the Exchange schema extensions will remain part of your schema forever.

In our example, we have the user Amanda Morgan.

Manage Exchange Server attributes

You should not use the Attribute Editor when you have an Exchange Server. It can occur when you have to adjust values, but you don’t have to most of the time.

Active Directory on-premises

When you move all the mailboxes to Exchange Online – Office 365, and you have an Active Directory on-premises, you have to keep an Exchange Server for management purposes for the below tasks:

• Create Office 365 mailbox in Exchange Hybrid
• Create Office 365 shared mailbox in Exchange Hybrid
• Create Office 365 resource mailbox in Exchange Hybrid
• Create distribution group in Exchange Hybrid

The changes you apply in Exchange Management Shell or Exchange Admin Center are pushed in the back-end to Active Directory (Exchange attributes).

Some organizations don’t want to keep an Exchange Server running in their on-premises organization when they move all the mailboxes to Exchange Online – Office 365. They like to use:

• Attribute Editor (ADSI Edit)
• Third-party software

Both of the above are possible, and they will work. But that’s not the supported way.

Azure Active Directory

Suppose you go entirely to the cloud or migrate to another mail provider, you don’t need an Exchange Server on-premises, and nothing happens anymore to the Exchange Server attributes.

Conclusion

You learned that the Exchange attributes remain after removing Exchange Server. That’s because Exchange Server integrates with Active Directory. It’s normal, and that’s how it works.

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