M365 Admin silently fails to update distribution group members

Question

M365 Admin silently fails to update distribution group members

Feindel, Gabriel 20

Earlier this year, we migrated hybrid distribution groups to the cloud by following these steps:

Record distribution group info (members, addresses, etc)
Delete the group from Active Directory and wait for Entra sync
Create a new cloud distribution list (Exchange Management PowerShell) and re-add addresses and members.

We recently discovered that the M365 Microsoft Admin tool fails to add group members to these newly created groups. The interface allows us to add a member and indicates that the operation succeeded, but when we verify the group membership, we find that the user was not added. This does not happen for pre-existing cloud groups.

If we add the user in the Exchange Online Admin portal, it works.

Answer accepted by question author

1 additional answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Hin-V 7,910 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Feindel, Gabriel

Thank you for posting your question in Microsoft Q&A.

As your description, this issue likely stems from a sync or caching discrepancy between Exchange Online (where the group is now fully cloud-native) and the Microsoft 365 admin center (which relies on Entra ID for group visibility and management).

To troubleshoot it, could you try to force a Membership Refresh. This can often resolve visibility inconsistencies.

Update-DistributionGroupMember -Identity "Your Group"

Wait 5-10 minutes, then check in the M365 admin center.

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Feindel, Gabriel 20 Reputation points

2025-10-23T15:24:30.2633333+00:00

I ran this command on one of the affected groups and then successfully removed and re-added a group member in M365 Admin. I'll have the other team member verify the same. These groups were created back in July (3 mo ago). What does Update-DistributionGroupMember do that wouldn't have happened since these groups were created?
Hin-V 7,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-24T08:56:00.91+00:00

Hi @Feindel, Gabriel

Thank you for your responding.

The Update-DistributionGroupMember cmdlet is a powerful tool for managing distribution group memberships directly in Exchange Online. It offers several advantages over using the Admin Center UI:

Bypasses UI: Sometimes, the Admin Center UI may show a success message even if the backend operation fails due to: Replication delays, permission issues, sync conflicts or backend service issue.

Using PowerShell gives you direct control over the Exchange Online backend, bypassing any UI abstraction.

Forces Membership Update: Even if the Admin Center fails silently, PowerShell can force the update and ensure the member is added correctly.

I am glad to hear that one of your groups was successfully troubleshooted. You could try to verify the update with another group to ensure consistency.

If you encounter any issues or need further assistance, feel free to reach out . I’m here to help.

Warm thanks.
Feindel, Gabriel 20 Reputation points

2025-10-24T13:59:55.1933333+00:00

I confirmed that it worked for the other team member as well, so I ran Update-DistributionGroupMember for all newly created cloud distribution lists.
Hin-V 7,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-24T14:07:46.9966667+00:00

Hi @Feindel, Gabriel

Thank you for getting back to us.

We’re delighted to hear that the troubleshooting steps worked successfully on your end. Warm thanks and have a nice day.

Answer 2

obedakraz 0

4684

شو هاد تحقيق من صحتو

Share via

M365 Admin silently fails to update distribution group members

1 additional answer

Your answer