Announcing Optional Help File Loading in Exchange Online PowerShell

Today we are announcing an update. Connect-ExchangeOnline Cmdlets used to connect to Exchange Online. Currently, this cmdlet loads the cmdlet help files required by the Get-Help cmdlet. We have received feedback from customers that this behavior may result in increased memory consumption due to repetitive connections. I also know that Connect-ExchangeOnline is often used in scripts that are unlikely to ever call Get-Help.

To address this feedback we will previously introduced The SkipLoadingCmdletHelp parameter allows you to skip loading the Help file. We plan to change this behavior further in the future.

Start with version 3.7.0 Preview and 3.7.0 GA The help file for the Exchange Online PowerShell module (planned for release in November 2024) is: It is no longer loaded by default.. Instead, to load a Help file, you must use a new parameter called LoadCmdletHelp. This change saves resources on your system by loading Help files only when explicitly needed.

Script update

To maintain compatibility with existing scripts, the SkipLoadingCmdletHelp parameter is available in versions 3.7.0 Preview and 3.7.0, but no longer works. This is to avoid breaking existing scripts. However, this parameter will be removed in version 3.8.0.

We recommend that you review and, if necessary, update your scripts to use the new LoadCmdletHelp parameter in scenarios where a Help file is required.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have any feedback about these changes, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Exchange Online Manageability Team