How to Remove Domain From Office 365: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Summary: This comprehensive guide explains how to remove domain from Office 365 efficiently. So, first, you have to decide, while performing the migration procedure between Office 365 tenancies. On top of that, if you consider transferring the domain name along with the accounts, then this write-up assures the most relevant solutions for the same. 

Before starting the process, you need to ensure that your source tenancy domain is removed because, in two different tenancies, you cannot use one domain at the same time. In addition,  we will also talk about the conventional method, which can be a lengthy process as Microsoft does not offer any functionality for the migration. Therefore, experts consider specialized software for smoother data migration and tenant transfers to overcome these complications.

An Overview of How to Remove Domain From Office 365

A domain name acts as a unique marker in an email address, identified by the ‘@’ symbol. In web addresses, it prominently includes the ‘www’ prefix. Typically, domain names follow the pattern of an organization or educational institution, appearing as ‘companyname.com’ or ‘universityname.edu.’ Importantly, every Office 365 user is connected to at least one domain associated with their accounts.

At times, Office 365 users who have multiple domains in a single account may need to remove specific domains when they consolidate, alter, or cancel their subscriptions.

How to Remove Domain From Office 365 Using Traditional Method

Removing the domain is not immediate; it involves multiple steps for the complete elimination of the account. So, here are the steps for the migration process:

Step 1. Transfer users to a different domain

Initially, disassociate the user from the domain by modifying their domain. Follow these steps:

• Access the Office 365 Admin Center.
• Navigate to Active Users under the Users category.
• Select the user account for which you intend to modify the domain. Click on the ‘More’ option (represented by ‘…’) and opt for ‘Manage username and email’.
• Click on the Edit symbol to update the domain name.
• Utilize the drop-down menu to pick the fresh domain address for the account. Then, click on ‘Done.
• On the ‘Change Domains’ page, select an alternative domain.
  

Step 2. Relocate the groups to a different domain

• Within the Office 365 Admin Center, navigate to Groups and then the Groups page.
• Select the desired group and click on ‘Edit Email Address.’
• Click the Edit icon located next to the Primary email address.
• From the drop-down menu, opt for a different domain address, and then click ‘Done’.

Step 3. Eliminate the former domain

• Access the Office 365 Admin Center, go to Settings, then select the Domains page.
• “Select the domain, click the option associated with it, and then choose ‘Remove domain.
• Click ‘Remove.
• Adhere to the provided instructions and, lastly, click ‘Close’.
  

Also read: Create an Admin Account in Office 365

How to Remove Domain From Office 365 Using Powershell

In many situations, organizations need to remove multiple users from the domains, then in this situation, you can use Exchange Management Shell cmdlets. 

Requirements:

1. PowerShell and Microsoft Sign-in Assistant
2. Administrative privileges for the relevant Office 365 tenancy
3. Office 365 Directory Synchronization set to ‘False’.

Here are the quick steps to follow:

• Initially, launch the Exchange Management Shell with Administrator privileges. Subsequently, install the Exchange Online Module within the management shell.

Install-Module MSOnline

You will be prompted to confirm your provided command. Click ‘Yes’

• Import the Exchange Online module.
  

Import-Module MSOnline

You’ll be prompted to import your Exchange account credentials before commencing the domain removal. Enter the required credentials.

• Execute the following command:

Get-MSOLUser | Where-Object { $_.UserPrincipalName –like “*shaundomain.com”}

This command will generate a list of all users linked to the domain name shaundomain.com.

• Execute the command:

Get-MSOLUser | Where-Object { $_.UserPrincipalName –like “*shaundomain.com”} | Remove-Msoluser

This command will initially list all users and subsequently remove them individually. You will be prompted to confirm ‘Y’ for each user.

Step 2. Once all users are removed from the domain

1. Then, navigate to the Office 365 Admin Center 
2. After that, locate the domain in the Domains category
3. Lastly, Select it, and choose the ‘Remove’ option.

Drawbacks of the Conventional Method

As we saw above the two different methods in the context of how to remove domain from Office 365. Furthermore, if we talk about the first manual method, then it can be both a complex and time-consuming task even for a technical user. Then we learn to perform this task using Powershell can be an easy task but only for those users who are familiar with it. 

Additional resources: Office 365 Mailbox Types and their Uses

Automated Solution For Efficient Migration

In order to migrate the data to another platform you need an automated approach. So, at present there is one strongly advised software which is SysTools’ Most Secure Office 365 to Office 365 Migration Tool. 

You don’t need to worry about whether this tool can run on your system or not. Moreover, it is compatible with Windows 11 / 10 (64-bit) and Windows Server 2012 & 2016 versions. With the help of this tool, you can migrate the data with a seamless experience. The software offers many features like a “Date Filter” for selective data migration, “Delta Migration” for newly arrived data, and many more.

Here are the steps of the above-mentioned tool in the context of how to remove domain from Office 365:

Step 1. Download and Launch the migration tool.

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Step 2. Select Office 365 as the source & Office 365 as the destination.

Step 3. Now, under Workload Selection, the software allows you to select Category, Email, Contact, etc. In the same window, there is an option for Migrate Document Permissions and User Group Mapping.

Step 4. By using the date filter option, you can migrate selective data. Click on Next.

Step 5. Enter the Admin email ID & Application ID of the Source tenant & then click on the Validate button. Repeat this step for the destination tenant.

Step 6. For mapping task software provides three options: Fetch Users, Import Users, and Download Template.

Step 7. Then, you can see all the source mailboxes.

Step 8. Lastly, Click on the Start Migration button to initiate the process.

Wrapping Up

When an administrator needs to find a solution for how to remove domain from Office 365, then they are not able to find a reliable solution. So, in this detailed article, we found all the reliable solutions for the query. In addition, we discussed two different conventional methods for the procedure, with their efficient steps. However, traditional methods have some limitations, so to bypass these complexities, we covered specialized software to make the transition smooth.