Forum Discussion
"We are preparing a mailbox for this user"
Hello,
Is anyone else experiencing "We are preparing a mailbox for this user" for a newly created account in the admin center of office 365? We are experiencing this behavior for both in-cloud accounts and AD-sync accounts. We have been seeing this message for close to 24 hours for newly created accounts. We have tried deleting the account, removing from deleted users, re-adding the account, reassigning a license, creating a cloud account and assigning a license. All are giving the same message when a new mailbox is provisioned. We have a current trouble ticket opened with microsoft but haven't heard back. Any help is appreciated.
jyinglingI know this is an old thread but wanted to add a fix that worked for me since this post was the first result when searching the problem on Google.
The Problem:
I was helping a client purchase a new Exchange Online account and licenses for two mailboxes. After submitting the billing info the bank blocked the charge and the tenant was created with an error about being unable to purchase the licenses. The bank was contacted to allow the charge then we logged into the Admin Center and were allowed to purchase the licenses. I applied the two licenses to both accounts but both were stuck with the message "We are preparing a mailbox for this user". I also could not access the Exchange Admin Center or any mail security policies (specifically to enable DKIM on the domain).
The Fix:
I contacted MS support the next day. They confirmed the licenses were valid and applied to both users but both accounts could not create a mailbox. After explaining the initial problem with purchasing the licenses when the tenant was created they suggested starting a Microsoft Business Basic trial license. I removed the Exchange Online license from one user, saved it, then applied one of the Business Basic trial licenses to the user. Suddenly it was able to prepare the mailbox for both accounts (even though the 2nd account was still on the Exchange Online license). I removed the BB trial license, reapplied the EO license and canceled the trial.
Certainly, here are some additional troubleshooting steps you can try:
1. Check Service Status: Ensure there are no service disruptions occurring in Office 365. You can check the service status through the Office 365 admin portal or the Microsoft website.
2. Verify Licensing: Make sure the license you assigned to the new account is active and not experiencing any issues.
3. Try PowerShell: Attempt to create a new mailbox using PowerShell. This may provide additional information about what could be wrong. You can use the New-Mailbox command in PowerShell to create a new mailbox.
4. Check Network Connection: Ensure your internet connection is stable and there are no restrictions affecting communication between your Office 365 tenant and Microsoft services.
5. Verify Admin Permissions: Ensure you have adequate admin permissions to create a new mailbox. Sometimes issues can arise if admin permissions are not configured correctly.
6. Check Email Aliases: Make sure there are no alias conflicts or confusion in the email settings that might hinder mailbox creation.
7. Review Activity Logs: Check the activity logs in the Office 365 admin portal to see if there are any error messages or suspicious activities related to mailbox creation.
8. Try from Different Device: If possible, try creating the mailbox from a different device or browser. Sometimes issues can be related to a specific device or browser.
If after trying these steps the issue persists, you may need to continue waiting for a response from Microsoft or try contacting them again for further assistance.
~ Binomo
If anyone have this issue (like I had today 🙂 ) Check the AD attribute mailNickname is mentioned correctly. Ideally it should match samaccountname
I have an account doing this, User account was created in AD last Thursday. All other parts of the account are working just fine, but the mailbox has been showing the preparing mailbox message since then. I thought surely to god that it would have completed the process over the weekend. What is worse is the support representative that contacted me seems to be clueless about the issue. I just reported it as an issue, hopefully whoever picks that ticket up will know what to do. Also Microsoft if you read these posts, when I create a ticket and specify I want to work with you through email, Don't call me. I was out of the office and I sure as hell wasn't going to give you my personal cell phone number.
For others having this problem, make sure that all of the features of the licensed product are turned on for that user. For example, if you get the error message when a user is licensed for a mailbox under a MS 365 plan, go to that plan in the admin center under Billing => licenses => MS 365. Click the user's name. You'll see a list of all the features of that plan that can be activated. Turn on the ones related to the mailbox use. (ie Office apps, Exchange online, etc.)
Hi jyingling
I've definitely noticed that provisioning a mailbox tends to take much longer than it did previously; 24 hours does seem excessive though. I'd try to follow up on the support ticket you had, or if you are with a partner see if they can put some leverage on getting this looked into quicker.
