Remove-MgUserMessage

What is Remove-MgUserMessage?

Remove-MgUserMessage is a Microsoft Graph PowerShell cmdlet used to permanently delete email messages from a user’s mailbox. The message is identified using its unique MessageId and is removed from the specified user’s Outlook mailbox.

This cmdlet directly interacts with Microsoft Graph and bypasses client-side Outlook rules.

Why Use Remove-MgUserMessage?

Administrators use Remove-MgUserMessage to:

• Clean up unwanted or malicious emails
• Automate mailbox hygiene tasks
• Remove phishing or spam emails tenant-wide
• Enforce compliance or retention policies
• Perform bulk deletions based on conditions (date, folder, etc.)

It is especially useful in security response and mailbox automation scenarios.

Prerequisites

Before using this cmdlet, ensure:

• Microsoft Graph PowerShell module is installed
• You are connected to Microsoft Graph
• Required permission scope is granted

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Mail.ReadWrite"

How to use Remove-MgUserMessage?

Basic syntax:

Remove-MgUserMessage -UserId <String> -MessageId <String>

• UserId: User Principal Name (UPN) or User ID
• MessageId: Unique ID of the email message

Remove-MgUserMessage Examples

• Remove a Single Message by ID

Remove-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" -MessageId "AAMkADhZD3KZAAA="

Deletes the specified email message from the user’s mailbox.

• Remove Multiple Messages

$messages = @("AAMkADhZD3KZAAA=", "AAMkADhZD3KZAAQ=")
foreach ($messageId in $messages) {
    Remove-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" -MessageId $messageId
}
                                            

Note:
Use the Get-MgUserMessage cmdlet to retrieve message IDs.

• Remove All Messages in a Folder

$folderMessages = Get-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" `-MailFolderId "AQMkADhZD3KZAAAA=" -All

foreach ($message in $folderMessages) {
    Remove-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" -MessageId $message.Id
}
                                           

Note:
Use Get-MgUserMailFolder to retrieve the MailFolderId.

• Remove Messages Based on a Condition

$oldMessages = Get-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" ` -Filter "receivedDateTime lt 2023-01-01"

foreach ($message in $oldMessages) {
    Remove-MgUserMessage -UserId "user@domain.com" -MessageId $message.Id
}
                                            

Deletes messages received before a specific date.

Summary

Key Point	Details
Cmdlet Name	Remove-MgUserMessage
Purpose	Permanently deletes emails from a mailbox
Required Scope	Mail.ReadWrite
Target	User mailbox messages
Primary Parameters	UserId, MessageId
Automation Benefit	Enables bulk and conditional email deletion
Common Use Case	Phishing cleanup, mailbox hygiene, compliance actions