Preparing the administration account for Exchange 2016 or 2013

Last published : Apr 17, 2026
When you configure Folder Sync to synchronize folders for on-premises Exchange or hybrid environments, you must provide the credentials of an Exchange administration account that has the necessary permissions.
You must grant the administration account the required permissions on each Exchange Server that Folder Sync is to process.
To prepare the administration account for Exchange 2016 or 2013
  1. Create a Windows Active Directory domain user account with a non-expiring password.
    Note: Alternatively you can use the Folder Sync service account as the administration account.
  2. Log on to the Exchange Server using administrator credentials.
  3. In the Exchange Admin Center, go to permissions > admin roles.
  4. Add the administration account to the built-in View-Only Organization Management role group.
  5. Create a new Role Group for Folder Sync and give it a suitable name, such as Folder Sync App Impersonation.
  6. Add to the new Role Group the ApplicationImpersonation management role, and add the administration account as a member.