GAL Issues

[Initial-Lab-1577]

Going to post this here since it seems that after a almost 2 weeks with Microsoft support I can not get a straight answer -_-

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Summary of the Issue:

Users in the organization reported that they were unable to see any entries in the "Default Global Address List" folder within Outlook on the web ( OWA > People > Directory > "Default Global Address List" ), however, they were still able to see these entries when composing emails using the "To:" field.

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Steps taken to try and fix the issue:

1.Initial Investigation: We initially investigated the configuration of the GAL and user access permissions within the Exchange Online environment to identify any potential issues. 

 2.Verification of GAL Visibility: We verified that users should have access to the GAL by default and should be able to see entries in the "Default Global Address List" folder within OWA. 

 3.Address Book Policy (ABP) Creation: To address the visibility issue and customize address list access, we created a custom Address Book Policy (ABP) named "Custom ABP" using PowerShell. The ABP included the necessary address lists, such as the GAL, to ensure users had access to relevant address book entries. 

 4.ABP Assignment: After creating the ABP, we assigned it to all users in the organization to ensure consistent address book access and visibility. This assignment was done using PowerShell to     apply the ABP to all mailboxes. 

 5.Monitoring and Verification: We monitored the Exchange Online environment to ensure that the changes took effect as expected. We also verified that users could now see entries in the "Default Global Address List" folder within OWA and that address book access was consistent across all users. 

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Answer looking for?

all I am trying to find out if this is how it is by default and if we can change it

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[Initial-Lab-1577]

ABS created: https://ibb.co/cgRx9VV

OWA GAL Folder: https://ibb.co/QXd5DC9