One of the common issues that Exchange users encounter is a damaged mailbox, which can be caused by various factors, such as:

    • System and server failures
    • Exchange downtime
    • Malfunction of system applications
    • Virus or malware attacks
    • User errors

Whatever the reason, you can find the solution here. In this article, we'll focus on two methods to fix a corrupted Exchange 2016 mailbox: one is by using the Microsoft New-MailboxRepairRequest cmdlet manually (in Part 1), and the other is by using an Exchange recovery tool (in Part 2) to automatically and effectively restore the mailbox.

Part 1: Using the New-MailboxRepairRequest cmdlet (the command you need)

The New-MailboxRepairRequest cmdlet is used to easily repair corrupt mailboxes in Exchange 2016. It allows users to detect and fix corruption in a specific mailbox or in an entire database in Exchange.

After skimming through the steps below, you'll notice that the solution involves a lot of commands that need to be executed manually. If you're new to Exchange and not very familiar with it, it's recommended that you skip to the easier Exchange server recovery software in Part 2 to fix the issue automatically.

Before you begin the process of repairing a damaged mailbox in Exchange 2016, you can run the following command to detect and report on corruption within Exchange mailboxes.

Create new email repair request - Alias - Corruption type: Configured folders, Search folders - Check only

To fix a damaged mailbox in Exchange 2016, run the following New-MailboxRepairRequest command:

1. Command to check and repair an individual mailbox in Exchange 2016

Create a new email repair request for the address alias@example.com with the issue type FolderView.

2. Commands to check and repair all types of corruption in alias and archive mailboxes

Create new mailbox repair request - Alias - Corruption type: Provisioning folders, Search folders, Aggregate counts, Folderview - Archive

3. The command to check and repair mailboxes with the CustomAttribute4 issue for all types

Get-Mailbox -Filter {CustomProperty4 -like "NeedsRepair"} | New-MailboxRepairRequest -CorruptionType SearchFolder, ProvisionedFolder, AggregateCounts, FolderView

4. Create a variable to hold the alias for the mailbox. Then use this variable to set the values of the StoreMailbox and Database parameters, and create a request to detect and repair all types of corruption.

Get the mailbox statistics for the mailbox named "annb", then create a new mailbox repair request specifying the database as the database that the mailbox is located on, the store mailbox as the mailbox's GUID, and the corruption types as ProvisionedFolder, SearchFolder, AggregateCounts, and Folderview.

After running all the commands, the corrupt mailbox in Exchange 2016 should be fixed. If not, proceed with a simpler alternative to fix Exchange mailboxes without the use of these complex commands.

Part 2: Auto-Repair Corrupted Mailboxes in Exchange 2016

If the manual solutions above don't work for you, don't worry. There's an automated approach using Exchange Recovery tools to fix corrupted mailboxes in Exchange 2016. This tool enables you to quickly recover and repair Exchange Server mailbox (EDB) files along with their contents.

This tool repairs damaged Exchange Server/EDB/mailboxes with its striking features.

Step-by-step Guide: Using Exchange Server Recovery Software to Fix Corrupted Mailboxes in Exchange 2016 1. Firstly, download and install a recovery software for Exchange Server 2016, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange or similar tools. 2. Launch the software and select the "Launch Wizard" or "Start New Recovery" option from the main interface. 3. On the next screen, you'll need to choose the corrupted Exchange Database (EDB) file. Click on "Browse" to navigate and select the location of the Exchange Server 2016 data store. 4. The software will initiate a scan of the selected EDB file to locate any damaged or lost emails. This process may take some time depending on the file size. 5. Upon completion of the scan, the software will display all recoverable mailboxes. You can preview their contents to confirm successful repairs. 6. Select the mailbox(es) you wish to repair and click on "Repair" or "Recover" to start the repair process. This may also take some time. 7. Once the repair is finished, the software offers two options to save the recovered mailbox data: - "Save as Live Exchange Database (Edb)": This will export the repaired mailbox back to the Exchange server. - "Save as PST": If you prefer to save the data locally, choose this option. PST files are compatible with Microsoft Outlook. 8. Choose the appropriate method, set the save path and options, then click "Save" to initiate the export process. 9. After the export is complete, you can import the repaired mailbox into Exchange Server 2016 or access it using Outlook. If you chose "Save as Live Exchange Database (Edb)", follow the Exchange Server's import/export wizard to complete the process. Please note that this process might vary slightly depending on the specific recovery tool. Be sure to follow the instructions provided by the software.

Step 1: Download, install, and launch the software. On the main screen, click on the three dots under 'Select EDB File' and browse to open the corrupted EDB file.

Repair Corrupted Exchange Mailbox

Step 2: Click on “Scan” to start the analysis of the EDB file. When the process is completed, all mailboxes and its contents are displayed in a tree view on the left panel of the screen.

Repair Corrupted Exchange Mailbox

Step 3: You can preview any email on the right pane. Check the boxes of the items you want to recover and click “Recover” to export them to a live Exchange server.

Repair Corrupted Exchange Mailbox

Step 4. Alternatively, you can choose to Export MSG to save the recovered mailboxes in MSG format.

Repair Damaged Exchange Mailboxes

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