Create Mailbox activity

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Create Mailbox activity

    The Create Mailbox activity in ServiceNow automates the creation of a new Active Directory user (if one does not already exist) and a Microsoft Exchange mailbox for that user. It leverages the Microsoft ExchangeNew-MailboxPowerShell command and is accessible in the Workflow Editor under the Custom tab at Custom Activities > Exchange > Mailbox.

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    This activity replaces the earlier Exchange mailbox creation activity available before the Geneva release. While existing workflows using the deprecated activity continue to function after upgrading, all new workflows should use this updated custom activity built with the PowerShell activity designer. This design allows workflow administrators to manage input and output variables within the databus for better integration and automation.

    Key Features

    • Active Directory and Exchange mailbox creation: Creates an AD user and an Exchange mailbox if the user does not already exist.
    • Customizable inputs: Accepts parameters such as Exchange server hostname, domain, user's first and last name, alias, password, and additional optional JSON-formatted parameters for Exchange server commands.
    • Secure password handling: Passwords are encrypted when sent to the Exchange server.
    • JSON parameters support: Allows passing optional parameters in JSON format, with special handling for switch parameters (e.g., "parameter":"true").
    • Output variables: Provides success/failure status, error messages, and raw XML payload from the Exchange server detailing mailbox attributes.
    • Compatibility: MID Server must be in the same domain as the Exchange server for proper communication.

    Key Outcomes

    • Success: A new mailbox is created successfully; if the Active Directory account did not exist, it is created as part of this process.
    • Failure: The activity reports failure if it cannot create the mailbox or Active Directory account, along with an error message describing the issue.

    This activity enables ServiceNow customers to seamlessly integrate mailbox provisioning into their workflows with reliable error handling and detailed output, improving automation efficiency when managing Exchange mailboxes and user accounts.

    The Create Mailbox activity creates a new Active Directory user, if that user does not already exist, and a Microsoft Exchange mailbox for that user.

    This activity implements the Microsoft Exchange New-Mailbox command.

    To access this activity in the Workflow Editor, select the Custom tab, and then navigate to Custom Activities > Exchange > Mailbox.
    Note:
    This activity replaces an Exchange activity by the same name available in releases prior to Geneva. If you have a workflow created in a previous version that uses the deprecated activity, your workflow will continue to work normally after upgrading to Geneva. However, all new workflows must use the custom version of this activity. This activity was built with the PowerShell activity designer, which gives workflow administrators the ability to store input and output variables in the databus.

    Input variables

    Table 1. Create Mailbox input variables
    Variable Description
    hostname The hostname of the Exchange server with which the activity interacts. Do not enter an IP address in this variable.
    domain The name of the Exchange server's assigned domain.
    Important:
    The MID Server must be in the same domain as the Exchange server.
    first_name First name of the user.
    middle_initial Middle initial of the user.
    last_name Last name of the user.
    alias The display name for the mailbox address, the part of the email address to the left of the @ symbol. If no alias is specified, the activity uses First name.Last name as the alias. The alias is also used as the user's principal name (UPN) if none is specified in the optional parameters.
    password Password to use for the new mailbox. The password is encrypted when it is sent to the target host.
    parameters Optional parameters to pass to the Exchange server written in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). Exchange activities cannot pass parameters that reference an object, such as a PSCredential object. Plain text is automatically converted to SecureString objects for parameters that require that data type.
    Attempting to save an activity that specifies duplicate parameters, including parameters from activity variables, or incorrectly formatted JSON causes a warning message to appear.
    Note:
    When passing a switch parameter, such as ForceUpgrade, you must use the format "parameter":"true".

    Output variables

    Table 2. Create Mailbox output variables
    Variable Description
    result Either success or failure.
    error Error message if the operation fails.
    output Raw XML payload from the Exchange server. This data includes all Exchange attributes.

    Conditions

    Table 3. Create Mailbox conditions
    Condition Description
    Success The activity succeeded in creating a new mailbox for the specified user. If no Active Diectory account existed for that user, this activity succeeded in creating a new account.
    Failure The activity failed to create a new mailbox or an Active Directory account for the specified user.