Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef

What is Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef?

Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef is a Microsoft Graph PowerShell cmdlet used to remove an existing member (user, device, or other directory object) from a Microsoft 365 or security group by reference. It deletes the relationship between the group and the specified directory object without deleting the object itself.

Why Use Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef?

This cmdlet is essential for automated access cleanup. Administrators can quickly remove users from groups during offboarding, role changes, project closures, or periodic access reviews. It supports scripting, loops, and CSV-based bulk operations, making it far more efficient than manual removal through the admin portals.

Prerequisites

Before using this cmdlet, ensure the following:

• Microsoft Graph PowerShell module is installed
  

  Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser

• You are connected with the required permissions
  

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

How to use Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef?

Basic syntax:

Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef -GroupId <String> -DirectoryObjectId <String>

You pass the GroupId of the target group and the DirectoryObjectId of the member to be removed. This works for single removals as well as scripted bulk operations using loops or CSV files.

Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef Examples

• Example 1: Single Removal of a Group Member

This example removes one member from a specified group using the group ID and the member’s object ID.

Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef -GroupId "12345678-9abc-def0-1234-56789abcdef0" -DirectoryObjectId "87654321-fedc-ba98-7654-3210fedcba98"

• Example 2: Removing Multiple Members from a Group

This example loops through multiple member IDs and removes each one from the group.

$GroupId = "12345678-9abc-def0-1234-56789abcdef0"
$Members = @("87654321-fedc-ba98-7654-3210fedcba98", "01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef")
foreach ($Member in $Members) {
    Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef -GroupId $GroupId -DirectoryObjectId $Member
}
                                            

• Example 3: Bulk Removal by Reading Data from a CSV File

For large-scale operations, members can be removed in bulk by importing their object IDs from a CSV file.

$GroupId = "12345678-9abc-def0-1234-56789abcdef0"
$CsvData = Import-Csv -Path "C:\path\to\members.csv"
foreach ($Member in $CsvData) {
    Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef -GroupId $GroupId -DirectoryObjectId $Member.DirectoryObjectId
}
                                            

Sample CSV format:

DirectoryObjectId
87654321-fedc-ba98-7654-3210fedcba98
01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef
                                            

Summary

Key Point	Details
Cmdlet Name	Remove-MgGroupMemberByRef
Purpose	Removes a member from a Microsoft 365 or security group
Required Scope	Group.ReadWrite.All
Primary Parameters	GroupId, DirectoryObjectId
Automation Benefit	Enables bulk group membership cleanup via scripts or CSV
Use Case	Offboarding users, access reviews, role or project changes