Local Move Requests in Exchange Online – Why They’re Not Supported

Microsoft advises against using local move requests within Exchange Online, despite their existing functionality. Local moves, originally designed for on-premises and hybrid scenarios, are unsupported in the cloud environment. Using them introduces risks related to orphaned data and unscheduled server loads. Microsoft's support team cannot assist with or expedite these requests. The Exchange Online service automatically manages mailbox placement and balancing, making manual moves unnecessary. Local moves do not fix mailbox issues or improve performance. Instead of local moves, investigate the root cause of mailbox problems and rely on the service's automated processes. The engineering team may move a mailbox, but the process is supervised with valid reasons. Manual intervention and local move requests should be avoided to prevent potential issues.