How to Remove Exchange 2013 Default Databases–Recommended way

Note : Its Preferred to Move the Database Path and Rename the Databases instead of removing it. Still you will come across some situations you had to remove them. https://www.azure365pro.com/how-to-move-database-path-and-log-folder-path-in-exchange-2013/

• Move your Mailboxes
• Move your Public Folder Mailboxes
• Do Not Move you Monitoring Mailboxes
• Move your Arbitration Mailboxes

Then you are good to Delete the Default Database

$olddb = Get-MailboxDatabase "Mailbox Database 2009099270"

$newdb = Get-MailboxDatabase "Database-001"

 To Check for Mailboxes –

Get-mailbox –Database $olddb

To move Mailboxes to Different Database

Get-mailbox –Database $olddb | New-moverequest –TargetDatabase $newdb

 To Check for Public Folder Mailboxes –

Get-Mailbox -Database $olddb –PublicFolder

To move Mailboxes to Different Database

Get-Mailbox -Database $olddb –PublicFolder | New-moverequest –TargetDatabase $newdb

 To Check for monitoring mailboxes –

Get-Mailbox -Database $olddb –Monitoring

It has to be removed by Exchange Server itself . But it wont have access to remove them. keep a copy of it and remove it from Active Directory.

• Don’t move the Health Mailbox from one database to another.

 To Check for arbitration mailboxes –

Get-Mailbox -Database $olddb –Arbitration

To move Mailboxes to Different Database

Get-Mailbox -Database $olddb –Arbitration | New-moverequest –TargetDatabase $newdb

Now Check all move request status

Get-MoveRequest | Get-MoveRequestStatistics

Now Remove all Move requests once completed.

Get-moverequest | remove-moverequest

Now remove the Database

Get-MailboxDatabase $olddb | Remove-MailboxDatabase 

Error –

This mailbox database contains one or more mailboxes, mailbox plans, archive mailboxes, public folder mailboxes or arbitration mailboxes. To get a list of all mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID>. To get a list of all mailbox plans in this database, run the command Get-MailboxPlan. To get a list of archive mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -Archive. To get a list of all public folder mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -PublicFolder. To get a list of all arbitration mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -Arbitration. To disable a non-arbitration mailbox so that you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID>. To disable an archive mailbox so you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID> -Archive. To disable a public folder mailbox so that you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID> -PublicFolder. Arbitration mailboxes should be moved to another server; to do this, run the command New-MoveRequest <parameters>. If this is the last server in the organization, run the command Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID> -Arbitration -DisableLastArbitrationMailboxAllowed to disable the arbitration mailbox. Mailbox plans should be moved to another server; to do this, run the command Set-MailboxPlan <MailboxPlan ID> -Database <Database ID>.