Get-MgUserContact

What is Get-MgUserContact?

Get-MgUserContact is a Microsoft Graph PowerShell cmdlet used to retrieve personal contacts stored in a Microsoft 365 user’s mailbox. These contacts are typically created in Outlook and represent external people or organizations, not tenant users.

Why Use Get-MgUserContact?

This cmdlet is especially useful for automation and reporting scenarios, such as:

• Auditing personal contacts stored in user mailboxes
• Exporting contacts for backup or migration
• Validating contact data during mailbox cleanup
• Automating user-level mailbox insights without manual Outlook access

Prerequisites

Before running this cmdlet, ensure you have:

• Microsoft Graph PowerShell module installed
• Appropriate permissions such as Contacts.Read or Contacts.Read.All
• An active Graph connection:

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Contacts.Read"

How to Use Get-MgUserContact?

You must specify the target user using UserId, which can be a User Principal Name (UPN) or Object ID.

Basic syntax:

Get-MgUserContact -UserId <String>

Get-MgUserContact Examples

• Example 1: Get Contacts for a Specific User

Get-MgUserContact -UserId "john.doe@example.com"

This command retrieves all personal contacts stored in John Doe’s mailbox.

• Example 2: Get Contacts for a Specific User and Select Specific Properties

Get-MgUserContact -UserId "john.doe@example.com" | Select-Object DisplayName, EmailAddresses, BusinessPhones

This example limits the output to commonly used contact fields for cleaner reporting.

• Example 3: Export Contacts to a CSV File

Get-MgUserContact -UserId "john.doe@example.com" | Select-Object DisplayName, EmailAddresses, BusinessPhones |Export-Csv -Path "JohnDoeContacts.csv" -NoTypeInformation

This exports the user’s contacts into a CSV file, making it easy to archive or analyze externally.

Get-MgUserContact vs Get-MgContact

This is a common point of confusion, so it’s good to clarify clearly:

Cmdlet	Purpose
Get-MgUserContact	Retrieves personal Outlook contacts stored in a user’s mailbox
Get-MgContact	Retrieves organizational contacts stored in the tenant directory

Key takeaway:
Use Get-MgUserContact for mailbox-level, user-created contacts.
Use Get-MgContact for directory-level, tenant-wide contacts.

Summary

Key Point	Details
Cmdlet Name	Get-MgUserContact
Purpose	Retrieves personal Outlook contacts from a user’s mailbox
Data Source	User mailbox (personal contacts, not tenant users)
Required Parameter	UserId (UPN or Object ID)
Permissions Needed	Contacts.Read or Contacts.Read.All
Automation Benefit	Enables scripted contact audits, exports, and mailbox analysis
Common Use Cases	Contact backup, reporting, migrations, mailbox cleanup