In Exchange, whether it is Exchange 2010, Exchange 2013 or Exchange 2016, there is always some sort of confusion when it comes to deleting or disabling a user mailbox. While one will leave the account in tact and disconnect the mailbox, the other one will remove the account and mailbox.
Here is an explanation of Disabling a mailbox and Deleting a Mailbox in Exchange:
Disabling a Mailbox:
When you disable a mailbox, all Exchange attributes are removed from the associated user account in Active Directory. The disconnected mailbox is hidden and marked for removal. The disconnected mailbox is permanently deleted (purged) based on the MailboxRetention property value for the mailbox database (the default value is 30 days). Before the mailbox is purged, you can reconnect it to a new or existing user account that doesn’t already have an associated mailbox
Deleting a Mailbox:
When you delete a mailbox, the mailbox is disconnected from the associated user account, and the account is removed from Active Directory. The disconnected mailbox is hidden and marked for removal. The disconnected mailbox is permanently deleted (purged) based on the MailboxRetention property value for the mailbox database (the default value is 30 days). Before the mailbox is purged, you can reconnect it to a new or existing user account that doesn’t already have an associated mailbox.
You can perform both of the above functions using the EAC/ECP or the Exchange Management Shell (EMS)
To Disable the mailbox using EMS:
- Disable-Mailbox Mailbox1
To Delete the Account and Mailbox using the EMS:
- Remove-Mailbox [email protected]
Hope it helps determining the method you want to use.