Microsoft's Big Exchange Online Change: Contact Recipient Objects Out, MailContact Unaffected
Microsoft has announced a significant change in Exchange Online, set to take effect on December 15, 2025. This update will impact 'Contact' recipient type objects, leaving 'MailContact' recipient type objects unaffected.
Organizations, particularly large enterprises and service providers, that have been using Contact Recipient objects for specific purposes will need to adjust. After the change, creating, viewing, or managing these objects using the Get-Contact and Set-Contact cmdlets in Exchange Online will no longer be possible. This change only applies to organization-level Contacts managed via Exchange Online and the *-Contact cmdlets, not personal address book contacts in Outlook.
Microsoft aims to simplify and modernize the Exchange Online directory infrastructure with this update. Organizations are advised to configure and delegate access through Exchange Online permissions and sharing policies to accommodate these changes.
Starting December 15, 2025, the Get-Contact and Set-Contact cmdlets in Exchange Online will no longer support 'Contact' recipient type objects. Organizations should plan accordingly to ensure a smooth transition.
