Microsoft 365 Admin Center: A Comprehensive Guide for Groups Management

Managing, collaboration and access in Microsoft 365 becomes seamless with the help of Microsoft 365 Groups. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced administrator, understanding the different ways to manage these groups is essential to efficiently support your organization. This guide explores group management via both the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and Graph PowerShell—offering flexibility for every admin skill level.

What are Microsoft 365 Groups?

Microsoft 365 Groups is a cross-application membership service in Microsoft 365 that lets users collaborate by providing a shared workspace for email, files, calendars, and more. When a group is created, it automatically provisions a shared Outlook inbox, SharePoint site, Planner board, and OneNote notebook.

Why Use Microsoft 365 Groups?

Microsoft 365 Groups are the backbone of collaboration in Office 365. Here’s why you should use them:

• Simplified Collaboration: Automatically connects users with shared resources.
• Consistent Access Management: Centralizes access controls across services like Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook.
• Self-Service Creation: Allows end users to create groups (if permitted) without IT dependency.
• Integrated Experience: Seamlessly connects with Outlook, Teams, Yammer, and other apps.

Different Ways to Manage Microsoft 365 Groups

Depending on your level of expertise and administrative needs, you can manage Microsoft 365 Groups using:

1. Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Ideal for IT admins who prefer a graphical interface, the Admin Center provides easy access to create and manage groups.

• Creating Groups
• Go to admin.microsoft.com
• Navigate to Groups > Active Groups
• Click Add a group, choose a type (Microsoft 365, Security, etc.), and configure settings.
• Adding Members to Groups
• Select the group > Click Members > Choose Add members
• Search and select the users you wish to add.
• Removing Members from Groups
• Open the group > Go to Members
• Click on the user's name and choose Remove.
• Deleting Groups
• From the Active Groups list, select the group and click Delete group.
• Recovering Deleted Groups
• Go to Groups > Deleted Groups
• Select the group and click Restore (available for up to 30 days post-deletion).
2. Using Graph PowerShell

For advanced Microsoft 365 administrators who prefer automation and scripting, Microsoft Graph PowerShell provides extensive flexibility and scalability.

Here are some essential cmdlets with descriptions and usage links:

• Creating Groups Using New-MgGroup

The New-MgGroup cmdlet is used to create Microsoft 365 Groups with customizable properties such as display name, mail settings, and group type.

• Adding Members to Groups Using New-MgGroupMember

Use the New-MgGroupMember cmdlet to programmatically add one or more users to a group’s membership list.

• Adding Owners to Groups Using New-MgGroupOwner

The New-MgGroupOwner cmdlet assigns ownership roles to designated users within a group, allowing them to manage group settings and memberships.

• Removing Members from Groups Using Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef

The Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef cmdlet removes specific users from a group’s membership via their directory object reference.

• Removing Owners from Groups Using Remove-MgGroupOwnerByRef

Use Remove-MgGroupOwnerByRef to revoke ownership privileges from selected users in a Microsoft 365 Group.

• Deleting Groups Using Remove-MgGroup

With Remove-MgGroup, you can delete Microsoft 365 Groups directly using PowerShell—ideal for bulk cleanups or automation.

• Recovering Deleted Groups

To restore a soft-deleted Microsoft 365 Group, use:

Restore-MgDirectoryDeletedItem -DirectoryObjectId ""

This cmdlet helps recover deleted groups within the 30-day retention window using their unique directory object ID.

Conclusion

Managing Microsoft 365 Groups is central to driving teamwork and secure collaboration within your organization. While the Microsoft 365 Admin Center is intuitive and suitable for basic operations, Graph PowerShell cmdlets empower advanced administrators to handle bulk operations, automate routine tasks, and integrate group management into custom workflows.

Whether you're just starting out or scaling operations, mastering both methods will elevate your admin capabilities across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.