The Problem

Classic Exchange Online scenario - trying to remove an orphaned (maybe used to be synced) object.

Error message when trying to remove contact

Getting slapped in the face with error

The Solution

Two words: Graph API.

Step 1: Get the Mail Contact ID

First, we need to identify the exact object we’re dealing with:

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Get-MailContact lorem.ipsum@contoso.com | Format-List Id

This will give the unique identifier for the mail contact.

Step 2: Verify the Object in Graph API

Better safe than sorry- let’s do a double check. Replace <ID> with the ID from Step 1:

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Invoke-MgGraphRequest -Method GET -Uri "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/directoryObjects/<ID>" -OutputType PSObject

Review the output to confirm this is indeed the object you want to remove.

Step 3: Force Delete via Graph API

Exterminate.

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Invoke-MgGraphRequest -Method DELETE -Uri "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/directoryObjects/<ID>"

More or Less Important Notes

  • Graph API deletions are immediate - there’s no confirmation prompt, so triple-check that ID
  • Here is how a sample uri looks like:
    Graph API URI structure showing directory objects endpoint
  • URI - not URL (uniform resource identifier)

Summary

Someday we will get Remove-MgContact but today is not the day. We must use a workaround.