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How to Get Office 365 Group Owners List in Microsoft 365

Unattended ownership of Office 365 groups can be a security nightmare! If you forget to replace the owner privileges of former employees, a group will become ownerless. Thus, this guide will be your roadmap to identifying and managing Microsoft 365 group owners to remove unwanted privileges and avoid ownerless groups in your organization.

Native Solution

Permission Required

High

Global Admin, Global Reader, Exchange Online Admin, or User Admin.

Option 1 Using Microsoft Entra Admin Center

  • Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center.
  • Navigate to the Identity»Groups»All Groups.
  • Click on the target group and select Owners under Manage to view the list of all owners of the M365 group.
Using Microsoft Entra Admin Center

Option 2 Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center

  • Login to the Microsoft 365 admin center with your admin credentials.
  • Navigate to Teams & Groups»Active teams and groups.
  • Click on the target group and select Owners under Manage to view the list of all owners of the M365 group.
Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center
  • Unfortunately, Microsoft 365 admin center doesn't let you export all group owners lists in one go. Instead, you will have to export the group members list and then filter the ‘Owner’ field alone in ‘MemberType’ column.

Option 3 Using Windows PowerShell

  • Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell.
  • Run the below cmdlet to get the list of group owners of all Microsoft 365 groups.
  • Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell 
     Get-UnifiedGroup | Select DisplayName, ManagedBy
Using Windows PowerShell
AdminDroid Solution
More than 150 reports are under free edition.

Permission Required

None

Any user with report access delegated by the Super Admin.

StepsUsing AdminDroid Office 365 Reporter

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  • Open AdminDroid Office 365 Reporter.
  • Navigate to the Group Owners report resided under Reports»General»Office 365 Groups.
Using AdminDroid Office 365 Reporter

Export the report on all Office 365 group owners in your organization along with details like owner department, owner sign-in status, owner location etc.

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  • Additionally, admins can generate graphical charts to see how many groups each user owns, helping you identify potential bottlenecks and distribute ownership responsibilities effectively.
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Explore a full range of reporting options

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Important Tips

Utilize Azure AD dynamic groups to automatically assign owners based on department or role, ensuring the right people have access and reducing manual work.

Monitor Microsoft group ownership changes to ensure only authorized users have group ownership privilege.

By utilizing Microsoft Productivity Score, you can find unwanted owners, inactive groups, etc., managing group memberships proactively.

Azure ADManage Group Ownership in Office 365

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What is the role of Microsoft 365 group owners? How to assign a user as a group owner in Microsoft 365? What is the Group Ownership Governance policy in Office 365? What happens if a user declines ownership of an ownerless group?

What is the role of Microsoft 365 group owners?

Microsoft 365 group owners play a crucial role in managing and controlling access to various shared resources within the platform.

Here's a breakdown of their responsibilities

  • Empowering Membership Management: Owners are crucial for managing group memberships like adding or removing members to ensure only right people have access to the group resources.
  • Customizing Group Settings: Owners have the authority to personalize the group's identity by modifying settings such as group name, description, picture, and group privacy.
  • Overseeing Shared Resources: Owners are responsible for managing members' access to shared resources like calendars, mailboxes, document libraries, SharePoint sites, Teams, and Planner boards. They can grant specific permissions or restrict access to these resources, ensuring proper resource utilization within the group.
  • Collaborative Leadership: Owners can delegate ownership responsibilities by assigning co-owners or delegating roles to other members.

Assigning multiple owners and customizing permissions are important practices for managing Microsoft 365 group owners. Whether you're overseeing a small private group or a large public one, knowing these responsibilities is crucial for effective group management.

How to assign a user as a group owner in Microsoft 365?

Assigning owners to a Microsoft 365 group can be done in several ways, but PowerShell stands out as an efficient method. PowerShell allows for bulk operations, providing greater control and flexibility in managing group settings and permissions.

To add a user as a group owner using PowerShell, follow the below steps.

  • Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell module with your administrative privileges. 
    Connect-ExchangeOnline
  • To assign a user as an owner to a Microsoft 365 group, run the below cmdlet. 
    Add-UnifiedGroupLinks -Identity <GroupName> -LinkType Owners –Links <UPN>
    #Replace <GroupName> with group display name and <UPN> with user principal name of the user.
  • To remove an owner from a Microsoft 365 group, run the below cmdlet. 
    Remove-UnifiedGroupLinks -Identity <GroupName> -LinkType Owners -Links <UPN>
    #Replace <GroupName> with group display name and <UPN> with user principal name of the user.

Tracking group owner changes guarantees uninterrupted management and access to group resources.

  • Utilize AdminDroid's default ‘Alert Policy Templates’ to trigger alerts for group owner changes in your organization.
  • This policy alerts admins about owner additions, removals, and modifications along with the user who performed the activity.
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What is the Group Ownership Governance policy in Office 365?

M365 Group Ownership Governance policy, also known as the ownerless groups policy, helps organizations automatically manage groups that don't have an owner.

The M365 Group Ownership Governance policy actively manages groups without an owner by:

  • Detecting ownerless groups: The policy continuously scans your tenant for groups without an owner.
  • Notifying eligible members: When an ownerless group is found, the policy sends email notifications to selected members, asking them to take ownership.
  • Getting members' approvals: Eligible members can accept or decline ownership through the email link.
  • Preventing deletion: Groups remain accessible even if no member accepts ownership. However, administrators will be notified and they can take further actions if needed.

Implementing a Group Ownership Governance policy for Microsoft groups improves security, efficiency, and compliance, ensuring your organization runs smoothly and securely.

How to activate Group Ownership Governance policy in Office 365?

  • Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center, click Settings»Org settings, and on the Services tab, select Microsoft 365 Groups.
  • Under Ownerless groups, select When there's no owner, email and ask active group members to become an owner check box.
  • Configure the settings based on your organization requirement and click Save.
ownership-policy

Note: This ownerless group policy configuration includes settings for specifying recipients of ownership notifications and defining active members to be notified.

It also allows Microsoft admins to set notification frequency and customize email templates sent to active recipients for ownership acceptance.

What happens if a user declines ownership of an ownerless group?

In Office 365, if a user declines ownership of an ownerless group, the group remains ownerless. The user's decision to decline ownership does not assign ownership to another user automatically. As a result, the group will not have any owners responsible for managing its settings, membership, and other administrative tasks.

It's important for Microsoft 365 admins to monitor ownerless groups and take appropriate action, such as assigning a new owner or decommissioning the group if it's no longer needed.

So, it's crucial to ensure at least two group owners available to prevent any interruptions in managing the group's settings, membership, and other administrative tasks.

Monitoring the Azure AD group owners' count ensures effective management and engagement.

  • Managing the group owners count helps ensure that the right individuals have the necessary permissions and responsibilities for managing group resources effectively.
  • Admins can easily generate reports showing the number of group owners and email them to relevant Microsoft 365 admins for quick updates.
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AdminDroid Azure AD ReporterKeep Your Groups Organized - AdminDroid Makes Group Owner Management a Breeze!

Easily manage group owners and more with our AdminDroid's Azure AD reporting and auditing tool. Forget writing intricate scripts - our intuitive interface offers instant access and tour to Microsoft 365 group ownership reports, saving your valuable time and frustration.

Unlock advanced Office 365 insights with AdminDroid, featuring detailed group ownership monitoring.

  • The Group Owners report resided under Reports»General»Office 365 Groups, provides a comprehensive overview of all Microsoft 365 group owners. This report includes detailed information about the groups and their respective owners, facilitating streamlined analysis and management.
  • Expanding beyond ownership management, AdminDroid offers comprehensive reports on Microsoft 365 Groups, residing under Reports»General»Office 365 Groups. This makes AdminDroid a centralized solution for a complete Microsoft 365 group management.

A Quick Summary

Seamless Group Update Notifications

Stay updated on the recently created groups in Azure AD by taking advantage of our quick and easy email report option.

Stay Alert for Group Owner Changes

Generate alerts on Microsoft 365 group owner changes to proactively review the addition and removal of group owners to ensure only authorized personnel are granted access.

Elevate Group Management Visuals

Consolidate insights into a single, comprehensive dashboard for Microsoft 365 Groups.

Intuitive Group Owner Monitoring

Actively monitor Microsoft 365 group operations to detect and address operational inefficiencies before they impact productivity.

Strategic Ownership Insights

Download group by owners count report for a detailed view of group ownership distribution, empowering strategic decision-making.

Monitor External User Collaboration

Effortlessly email the groups with external users report to owners to manage Microsoft 365 guest users group membership in your organization.

AdminDroid simplifies Microsoft 365 groups monitoring by providing comprehensive oversight of owner changes, permissions, and assignments. This empowers admins to maintain a secure and organized M365 environment.

Kickstart Your Journey with AdminDroid

Your Microsoft 365 Companion with Enormous Reporting Capabilities!

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Common Errors and Resolution Steps in Monitoring and Managing Microsoft 365 Group Owners

The following are possible errors and troubleshooting hints while dealing with Microsoft 365 group owner management.

Error: Get-UnifiedGroup : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'GroupType'.

This error occurs when attempting to filter group owners by group type using the GroupType parameter in the Get-UnifiedGroup cmdlet.

Troubleshooting hint :You can try filtering by group name by following the below cmdlet. 

Get-UnifiedGroup -Identity <Group Name> | Select-Object DisplayName, ManagedBy

Error: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Directory.ADNotAMemberException

This error occurs when trying to add a non-existent member as an owner.

Troubleshooting hint :Verify if the user already exists in the group. If you recently added the user, try again after some time.

Error: The term 'Get-UnifiedGroup' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

This error will occur if the Exchange Online module wasn't installed properly.

Troubleshooting hint :Install the Exchange Online PowerShell module. If it is already installed, updating it could resolve the issue. 

//Run the below cmdlet for installing it.
Install-Module ExchangeOnline
//Run the below cmdlet for updating it.
Update-Module -Name ExchangeOnline

Error: The term 'Connect-MgGraph' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

This error message occurs when you try to run the PowerShell cmdlets without the connecting Microsoft Graph PowerShell.

Troubleshooting hint :To resolve this error, you must install and connect the Microsoft Graph PowerShell in your organization. 

Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.Read.All", "Group.ReadWrite.All"