--- title: How to Use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics in Powershell slug: get-mailboxfolderstatistics-powershell published: 2024-01-20T03:55:57.000Z updated: 2024-01-20T03:55:57.000Z feature_image: /blog/images/get-mailboxfolderstatistics-powershell/get-mailboxfolderstatistics-syntax-microsoft-learn.1600.webp feature_image_alt: Microsoft Learn documentation for the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics cmdlet showing its PowerShell syntax author: James Futhey author_slug: james meta_description: "Need to retrieve all the information from a mailbox? Learn how to use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics right here." status: published --- Running and **managing a massive Exchange server** can be exhausting and challenging, mostly for people who work in large organizations. Getting a full list of all the user mailboxes would be challenging without the help of PowerShell. Fortunately, there is a way to make all this data visible by using a command: **Get-MailboxFolderStatistics.** In this blog post, we’ll show you **how to use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics in PowerShell** efficiently to get each parameter from user mail boxes. ## What is Get-MailboxFolderStatistics in PowerShell? The Get-MailboxFolderStatistics is a cmdlet command available on the on-premises exchange and the cloud-based service. This cmdlet can be used to **retrieve information from all the subfolders and folders of a mailbox, regardless of the folder type.** By using Get-MailboxFolderStatistics, administrators can retrieve all the parameters they need from a mailbox. This **automates an otherwise time-consuming process**, as retrieving items from an inbox folder manually can take a lot of time. The syntax of [Get-MailboxFolderStatistics](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/get-mailboxfolderstatistics?view=exchange-ps) is the following: ```powershell Get-MailboxFolderStatistics [-Identity] [-Archive] [-DiagnosticInfo ] [-DomainController ] [-FolderScope ] [-IncludeAnalysis] [-IncludeOldestAndNewestItems] [-IncludeSoftDeletedRecipients] [-ResultSize ] [-SkipCount ] [-UseCustomRouting] [] ``` Each one of these **switches and parameters** comes with a default value that can be modified before running the command: - **Identity:** Identify specifies the precise mailbox from which you want to retrieve the information. It could be the mailbox of one user or multiple users; - **Archive:** Archive provides the cmdlet with the information it needs to retrieve info for an archive mailbox if it’s associated with the primary mailbox; - **DiagnosticInfo:** This parameter provides additional diagnostic information if necessary, and it can be used to troubleshoot errors; - **DomainController:** DomainController specifies a FQDN if necessary; - **FolderScope:** FolderScope shows the type of folder that will return the output; - **IncludeAnalysis:** This parameter is used if it’s necessary to run additional analytics of the individual mailbox; - **IncludeOldestandNewestItems:** Specifies whether it’s necessary to include the oldest and newest calendar items in the analysis or not; - **IncludeSoftDeletedRecipients:** Specifies whether to include soft-deleted recipients in the statistics; - **ResultsSize:** ResultsSize shows the total size of the data returned by the command. By default, there is no limit for this parameter when it comes to returning results; - **SkipCount:** SkipCount is used to skip certain items in the final item count; - **UseCustomRouting:** Specifies whether to use custom routing or not; - **CommonParemeters:** Includes other commonly used parameters in cmdlets. ## Benefits of Using Get-MailboxFolderStatistics Cmdlet in PowerShell Using the Get-MailBoxFolderStatistics cmdlet not only returns the number of items on a mailbox - it can also be the **answer to perform certain tasks that would otherwise be manually performed.** Let’s look at some examples to understand how the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics can help you in your daily tasks within PowerShell: 1. Obtain **in-detail statistics** for each folder within an Exchange mailbox; 2. Identify **storage use** to see how much space each folder takes, which allows administrators to improve source allocation by measuring item size; 3. **Troubleshoot any possible error** in the mailboxes, as the command can also perform error diagnosis; 4. **Recover deleted items** inside soft-deleted mailboxes, which are no longer stored in the server but are still recoverable to view their information; 5. Generate a **CSV file** with the folder size, items in folder, and other folder stats from users in an organization; 6. Check out all the **values and item counts** contained inside a mailbox to make changes or assign further roles if necessary; 7. Tailor specific **organizational requirements** by analyzing all the details returned regarding the total number of items contained within a mailbox. ## Prerequisites to Use Get-Mailbox Folder Statistics Cmdlet Before running any cmdlet in PowerShell, it is necessary to **have the correct permissions and roles** to do so. Otherwise, error messages will continue to pop out along the way. According to the official [Microsoft website](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/exchange/find-exchange-cmdlet-permissions?view=exchange-ps), this is how you can check the required permissions to **run the Get-MailBoxFolderStatistics cmdlet on PowerShell:** 1. Open PowerShell and log into your **Microsoft account** with administrator permissions; 2. Run the following cmdlet on PowerShell: “**$Perms = Get-ManagementRole -Cmdlet <Cmdlet>.**” In this case, it’s necessary to **replace <cmdlet> with Get-MailboxFolderStatistics;** 3. After running the command, PowerShell will show you the necessary **roles, permissions, and requirements** to run the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics command within your organization; 4. Keep in mind that only administrators can provide you with the necessary permissions to run commands, so in case you are missing them, **contact your organization manager for further assistance.** ## How to Use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics in PowerShell We will use the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics command to **view complete statistics from certain mailboxes within PowerShell.** In order to do this, we will connect to the Exchange Online PowerShell environment and run the cmdlet as requested. These are the **three steps** you need to follow to use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics in PowerShell. ### Step 1: Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell To run cmdlets, we first need to **connect to the Exchange Online PowerShell environment managed by your organization.** To do so, launch PowerShell in your system, and run the following command: ```powershell Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName admin@mail.com ``` Replace “admin@mail.com” with your own email, and use your **Microsoft account credentials** to connect to Exchange PowerShell. After connecting to PowerShell, and _provided you have already checked the required permissions as mentioned above_, we are ready to run cmdlets. ### Step 2: Identify the User Mailbox Perhaps the most important part of the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics cmdlet is the **Identity parameter.** The identity parameter, as mentioned above, helps you **identify the specific mailbox from which you want to obtain statistics and information.** Therefore, it will be crucial to identify the user mailbox you want to check before running the parameter. Remember that you can use **any specific value that identifies the mailbox, such as name, alias, email address, domain, username,** and more. ### Step 3: Run Get-MailboxFolderStatistics Cmdlet Now, it’s time to run the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics cmdlet on PowerShell. To understand how the command works, let’s take a look at **a few examples**. Open the command window, and run the following command: ```powershell Get-MailboxFolderStatistics -Identity Simon ``` This simple one-line command **returns all the folder information from the user Simon.** Since it doesn’t have any other parameters, it will simply return all the data within the mailbox without altering the final query. Now, let’s look at this example: ```powershell Get-MailboxFolderStatistics -Identity "James" -FolderScope RecoverableItems -IncludeAnalysis ``` In this example, the cmdlet will identify James as the user from which you want to see the mailbox items. Then, it uses the **FolderScope switch to target only RecoverableItems, and the IncludeAnalysis switch to view the statistics of these items.** Alternatively, the Get-MailboxFolderCommand can be used to retrieve the complete archive of a mailbox: ```powershell Get-MailboxFolderStatistics -Identity james@meetingroom365.com -Archive ``` The identifier used in this command is the **email** of the user. Then, the Archive switch asks the command to return a complete view of all statistics from **James’s archive.** ## Summary: How to Use Get-MailboxFolderStatistics **Using the Get-MailboxStatistics cmdlet can bring answers to your problems**, as it provides us with an easy way to view in-detail info about user mailboxes natively from PowerShell. Before running the command, consider the following factors: - By default, the Get-MailboxFolder statistics will **return all mailbox items and statistics** from desired mailbox unless given further parameters, such as Archive and FolderScope; - Only **administrators and users with enough permissions** can run the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics command in PowerShell; - If the command is not working, make sure to **use the correct Identity switch**, as it determines the outcome of the cmdlet. ## FAQ ### What is the Get-EXOMailboxFolderStatistics Cmdlet? [Get-EXOMailboxFolderStatistics](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/get-exomailboxfolderstatistics?view=exchange-ps) is a cmdlet that is only available in the Exchange Online PowerShell Module whose **purpose is the same as the Get-MailboxFolderStatistics:** retrieve information about the folders in a specific mailbox. Both cmdlets have the same purpose - **the difference lies in the environment they are available in.**