New PowerShell Cmdlets: Change Meeting Organizer in Exchange Online

Microsoft has recently added an exciting new feature to the Microsoft 365 roadmap that will make life easier for Exchange Online administrators. The ability to change meeting organizers via PowerShell is coming in May 2026, addressing a long-standing pain point in calendar and meeting management.

The Challenge

If you've worked in Exchange Online administration for any length of time, you've likely encountered scenarios where a meeting organizer needs to be changed:

• An employee transitions to a new role within the organization
• The original organizer is on extended leave
• During the offboarding process when an employee leaves the company
• Organizational restructuring affecting long-running meeting series

Until now, there hasn't been a straightforward way to transfer meeting ownership while maintaining the meeting's history and continuity. The typical workaround involved canceling the existing meeting and creating a new one, which meant losing the meeting history and requiring all attendees to re-RSVP.

What's New

Microsoft is introducing PowerShell cmdlets that will allow Exchange Online administrators to change the organizer of an existing meeting or meeting series. This feature is currently in development under roadmap ID 554937.

Key Features

Seamless Transfer Process The new cmdlets enables administrators to transfer meeting ownership without disrupting the meeting series or requiring attendees to take action.

Preservation of Meeting Properties When a meeting is transferred to a new organizer, all properties are maintained:

• Meeting time and recurrence patterns
• Attendee list
• Meeting description and details
• Meeting history

Silent Updates for Internal Attendees One of the most significant advantages is that meeting attendees within the Exchange Online tenant will not need to re-RSVP. The existing event on their calendar will be silently updated with the new meeting organizer information, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption.

Future User-Initiated Transfers While the initial release focuses on administrator-driven changes via PowerShell, Microsoft plans a subsequent feature that will enable users to change the organizer themselves via:

• Modern Calendar in Outlook Web App (OWA)
• New Outlook
• Microsoft Teams

For user-initiated transfers, the new organizer must accept the meeting before the transfer completes, adding an important layer of consent to the process.

Rollout Timeline

Availability:

• Start Date: May 2026
• Status: Currently in development
• Cloud Instances:
  • Worldwide (first wave)
  • GCC (Government Community Cloud)
  • GCC High
  • DoD (Department of Defense)

Use Cases

This feature will be particularly valuable in several scenarios:

1. Employee Offboarding

When an employee leaves the organization, administrators can transfer ownership of recurring meetings to another team member, ensuring business continuity without losing meeting history or forcing attendees to update their calendars.

2. Role Transitions

During internal role changes or promotions, meeting ownership can be smoothly transferred to the appropriate person without disrupting ongoing meeting series.

3. Extended Leave Management

For employees on parental leave, sabbatical, or extended sick leave, meeting ownership can be temporarily or permanently transferred to ensure meetings continue as planned.

4. Organizational Restructuring

When teams are reorganized or merged, meeting series can be efficiently transferred to new team leads or managers.

What This Means for Administrators

This new cmdlets will significantly streamline meeting management tasks and reduce the administrative overhead associated with meeting organizer changes. Instead of canceling and recreating meetings, administrators will have a clean, efficient way to transfer ownership while maintaining all meeting details and history.

The PowerShell-first approach also means this feature can be easily integrated into existing automation workflows and scripts, making it possible to handle bulk transfers or incorporate meeting ownership changes into broader offboarding or role transition processes.

Looking Ahead

While we await the official release and documentation of the exact cmdlets syntax, this is a welcome addition to the Exchange Online PowerShell toolkit. The promise of future user-initiated transfers through the modern calendar interfaces will further enhance the flexibility and accessibility of this feature.

Keep an eye on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap for updates on this feature's progress and availability.

Conclusion

The introduction of PowerShell cmdlets to change meeting organizers in Exchange Online addresses a real need in enterprise calendar management. By preserving meeting history, maintaining all properties, and updating attendees silently, this feature will make meeting transitions seamless and efficient.

I'll be watching for the rollout in May 2026 and will share updates on the cmdlets syntax and best practices once it becomes available.