Windows
Shared user mailboxes lost their licenses and users could not use them
Two user mailboxes that were also used as shared mailboxes lost their licenses, which stopped users from using them. The technician re-licensed the affected mailboxes.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-05-20.
What you see
- A mailbox that is also used as a shared mailbox becomes unlicensed.
- Users cannot use the mailbox until the license is restored.
Why it happens
Likely The licenses attached to the mailboxes were deprecated and did not move successfully to a different license until intervention was made.
When it shows up
A shared mailbox is actually a user mailbox and people sign in directly to it for work, then it loses its license.
You are in this case if:
- The mailbox no longer shows an assigned license.
- The mailbox is one of a small set of user mailboxes being used as shared mailboxes.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
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Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-05-20. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.