Ultimate Guide for Using Get-MgGroup Cmdlet

Managing groups in Microsoft 365 is a critical task for administrators. Groups enable seamless collaboration by connecting users, applications, and shared resources like Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. While the Microsoft 365 Admin Center provides a user-friendly interface to manage groups, it may not always be efficient for handling bulk tasks or advanced queries.

Enter Microsoft Graph PowerShell —a robust scripting tool that empowers administrators to automate group management tasks. In this guide, we’ll dive deep into the Get-MgGroup cmdlet, explain its usage, and provide examples to help you maximize its potential.

What Are Microsoft 365 Groups?

Microsoft 365 Groups are cross-application groups that simplify collaboration. They bring together users, files, and tools, ensuring seamless communication and sharing. Administrators typically manage these groups via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, where they can:

• Create, edit, or delete groups.
• Add or remove group members.
• Configure group settings and permissions.

While the Admin Center is effective for one-off changes, Graph PowerShell is the go-to solution for admins handling large-scale group management tasks or automating workflows.

Why Use Get-MgGroup?

The Get-MgGroup cmdlet provides a programmatic way to retrieve detailed group information from Microsoft 365. With this cmdlet, admins can:

• List all groups in a tenant.
• Retrieve detailed information about specific groups.
• Drill down into group members for further insights.

Setting Up Microsoft Graph PowerShell

1. Install Microsoft Graph PowerShell

Install the module using the following command:

Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser

2. Connect to Microsoft Graph

Connect to your tenant using your admin credentials:

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Group.Read.All"

3. Disconnect After Use

When finished, disconnect to secure your session:

Disconnect-MgGraph  

Practical Examples of Get-MgGroup

1. Retrieve All Groups

To fetch a complete list of groups in your tenant, use:

Get-MgGroup -All    

This command retrieves all groups, including their display names, IDs, and types.

2. Fetch a Single Group by Group ID

To fetch details about a specific group, use its unique ID:

Get-MgGroup -GroupId "<GroupId>"   

3. Retrieve Group Members

To get the members of a specific group, use:

Get-MgGroupMember -GroupId "<GroupId>"     

This command only retrieves member IDs, which are typically user IDs or service principal IDs.

4. Fetch Detailed Member Information by Nesting Commands

To get detailed information about each group member (e.g., display name, email, UPN), you can combine Get-MgGroupMember with Get-MgUser:

# Retrieve members of a specified group  
$groupMembers = Get-MgGroupMember -GroupId "1cbe8c31-589d-453a-a1e5-045f7f00c967"  
                                                
# Initialize an array to store detailed user information  
$userDetails = @()  
                                                
# Loop through each group member and retrieve additional properties  
foreach ($member in $groupMembers) {  
        $user = Get-MgUser -UserId $member.Id -Property "id, displayName, userPrincipalName"  
        $userDetails += [PSCustomObject]@{  
            Id                 = $user.Id  
            DisplayName        = $user.DisplayName  
            UserPrincipalName  = $user.UserPrincipalName  
    }  
}  
                                                
# Display the detailed user information  
$userDetails | Select-Object Id, DisplayName, UserPrincipalName  
                                                

This script retrieves user-specific information for all members of a given group.

Advanced Tips for Get-MgGroup Usage

• Use Filters to Narrow Down Results: To fetch only specific groups (e.g., security-enabled groups), use the -Filter parameter:

Get-MgGroup -Filter "groupTypes/any(c:c eq 'Unified')"  

• Automate Routine Tasks: Combine Get-MgGroup with cmdlets like Remove-MgGroup to automate tasks like cleaning up inactive groups.
• Simulate Commands: Use the -WhatIf parameter to simulate actions before executing them.

Conclusion

The Get-MgGroup cmdlet is a must-have tool for Microsoft 365 administrators, offering unparalleled flexibility in managing groups. Whether you’re retrieving a list of all groups, drilling down into specific group details, or combining cmdlets to fetch member information, this cmdlet empowers admins to automate and optimize group management tasks.

By integrating Get-MgGroup with other Graph PowerShell cmdlets, you can build powerful scripts that save time and enhance productivity. Ready to explore the power of Graph PowerShell? Start with Get-MgGroup today!