Add email for staff member

Create the staff member under Microsoft 365 admin center → Users → Active users → Add a user, then assign a license that includes Exchange Online so the account receives both a Microsoft 365 sign-in and mailbox.

Create the account and mailbox

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Open Users → Active users → Add a user.
   • In Simplified view, select Add user from the main page instead.
3. Under Set up the basics, enter:
   • First and last name
   • Display name
   • Username, such as firstname.lastname
   • The required domain from the domain list
4. Leave Automatically create a password selected, or enter a strong temporary password. Keep Require this user to change their password when they first sign in selected.
5. Under Assign product licenses:
   • Select the staff member’s country or region.
   • Assign an available Microsoft 365 license that includes Exchange Online.
   • If individual services are displayed under Apps, ensure Exchange Online remains enabled.
6. Leave Roles set as a regular user unless this person requires administrative access.
7. Review the settings and select Finish adding. These are the documented account-creation steps in Microsoft 365.^1^
8. On the completion page, print or save the credentials and give the temporary password to the staff member securely.

Assigning a license containing Exchange Online provisions the mailbox; once provisioning finishes, the user appears under Exchange admin center → Recipients → Mailboxes.^2^

Email address and sign-in name

The username and selected domain normally form the sign-in and email address—for example, [Email].

• If your organization’s custom domain already appears in the domain list, select it.
• Otherwise, use your tenant’s onmicrosoft.com domain for now. A custom company domain must first be added and verified in Microsoft 365 before it can be selected for user IDs and email addresses.^3^

If no suitable license is available

You can create the account without a license, but email will not be available until an appropriate license is assigned. Purchase another seat if necessary, then return to:

Users → Active users → select the staff member → Licenses and apps

Assign the license and verify that Exchange Online is enabled. Adding users and assigning licenses requires a User Administrator or License Administrator role; Microsoft recommends using the least-privileged suitable admin role rather than Global Administrator.^1^

References

1. Add users and assign licenses in Microsoft 365
2. How to create exchange mail user if that user already exsisit in entra id - Microsoft Q&A
3. What is my user ID and why do I need it for Office 365 for business? | Microsoft Support