In this article

Back up SharePoint Online manually
Back up SharePoint using native Microsoft 365 features
Back up SharePoint Online using third-party apps

An Admin’s Guide to SharePoint Online Backup

4 Dec 2024

6 min read

Ahana

Blog Articles

SharePoint Online backup at a glance

SharePoint Online has limited native backup options, which can leave organizations vulnerable to data loss.

Deleted files are moved to the Recycle Bin for 93 days before being permanently deleted, with limited recovery options afterward.

OneDrive Sync creates local copies but syncs changes, meaning file deletions are reflected across all synced locations.

eDiscovery preserves files for legal purposes, but it is not a full backup solution and requires advanced licenses.

Retention policies help retain files for compliance but do not enable simple file restoration after accidental deletion or corruption.

What is the solution?

SysCloud provides a secure, automated cloud backup solution for SharePoint Online, enabling organizations to restore specific files, folders, or entire sites with full permissions and file structure intact. This ensures complete protection against accidental deletions, malware attacks, and compliance risks.

SharePoint Online is trusted by over 200 million users worldwide, including 85% of Fortune 500 companies (Source: Microsoft). SharePoint is primarily used as a data storage location for other Microsoft 365 apps as well as to communicate information across the organization. However, as more organizations rely on SharePoint for their day-to-day operations, the risk of data loss also increases. Whether it’s accidental deletions, cyberattacks, or technical issues, losing critical data can disrupt business operations. Since Microsoft does not provide automatic backups for your data, it’s essential for organizations to take charge of backing up SharePoint data to ensure it is always safe and recoverable when needed.

What happens if SharePoint Online data is deleted?

When data is deleted in SharePoint Online, it is first moved to the Recycle Bin, where it can be restored by the user for up to 93 days. If emptied or the retention period ends, the data moves to the Second-Stage Recycle Bin, accessible only to site collection administrators, but it remains part of the same 93-day limit. After this, the data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Items with version history retain older versions unless explicitly deleted, but shared files become inaccessible to all users if removed.

How to back up SharePoint Online

How to back up SharePoint Online manually

It is possible to manually back up your SharePoint files to your computer or an external drive to keep them secure in case your Microsoft 365 account is compromised. To back up SharePoint manually, follow the below steps:

Step 1: Log in to your Microsoft 365 account and navigate to the SharePoint site containing your files.
Step 2: Open the document library where your files or folders are stored.
Step 3: Select the files or folders you want to download by clicking the circle checkbox next to them.
Step 4: Click Download at the top of the page or right-click on the selected items and choose Download.

Limitations of SharePoint backup using manual method

Time consuming, since all actions are manual
New or updated files need to be downloaded repeatedly.
Only downloads the current version of files, not previous versions.
Backup will be lost if something happens to the computer or external drive where the files are stored.
In case of a data loss incident, restoring SharePoint data manually is a time-consuming and difficult process.

How to back up SharePoint using native Microsoft 365 features

Microsoft doesn’t have any features specifically designed for the purpose of SharePoint backup; however, the following three options can be used to take a backup of your SharePoint data.

Option 1 : Back up using OneDrive Sync app
Option 2 : Back up using eDiscovery Feature
Option 3 : Back up using Compliance Retention Policies

Option 1 : How to back up SharePoint Online using OneDrive Sync app

If your organization uses a Microsoft 365 work subscription, you can sync your SharePoint files directly to a folder on your computer. This allows you to work with the files in File Explorer, even while offline. Once you’re back online, any changes you’ve made will automatically sync. This can also be used as a backup to create a copy of your SharePoint data.

Note: Confirm that the OneDrive desktop app is installed on your computer.

Here is how you can sync your SharePoint Online data using OneDrive Sync app:

Step 1: In your browser, sign in to Microsoft 365 and click the app launcher. From the menu, select SharePoint.
Step 2: Choose the SharePoint site containing the files you want to sync. Once on the site, go to the Documents library or the specific subfolder you wish to sync.
Step 3: Click the "Sync" button in the toolbar of the document library. If your browser requests permission to open "Microsoft OneDrive," confirm the action.

Note: If a screen appears asking, "Which library do you want to sync?" it means your site isn’t set up to sync with the OneDrive sync app. In this case, consult your IT administrator for assistance.

Step 4: The files will sync to a folder on your computer located in the OneDrive folder under your organization’s name. This folder will also appear in the left pane of File Explorer.

All the selected files will be available on your desktop. However, the files will be in sync with SharePoint, and therefore, any deletion in SharePoint will be reflected in the desktop, erasing the backed up data.

To create a backup, copy all the downloaded files to another folder on the desktop or to an external hard drive.

Though the OneDrive Sync Client can be used as a backup, relying on it completely could be risky, as local machines are prone to crashes or malware attacks.

Limitations of SharePoint backup using OneDrive sync client

OneDrive syncs change in real-time. If a file is accidentally deleted or modified, the change will sync to all locations, potentially losing or overwriting important data.
While SharePoint and OneDrive support version history, this is not equivalent to a full backup. Recovering files depends on how long versions are retained and the availability of version history.
Syncing keeps data in the same ecosystem, making it vulnerable to systemic risks.
This approach is applicable only if individual users take responsibility for backing up their data. An administrator cannot manage backup for individual users.

Option 2 : How to back up SharePoint Online using eDiscovery feature

eDiscovery refers to the process of identifying and delivering electronic information that can be used as evidence in legal cases.

Note : You will need to subscribe to Office 365 E3 and E5 or Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 subscription (or related E5 add-on subscriptions) to access the eDiscovery tool.

Microsoft Purview offers three eDiscovery solutions in Microsoft 365: Content Search, eDiscovery (Standard), and eDiscovery (Premium).

Content Search allows users to perform basic searches across Microsoft 365 data and export results locally.
eDiscovery (Standard) adds case management, enabling users to create cases, assign managers, and place legal holds for systematic legal matter management.
eDiscovery (Premium) builds on Standard with advanced features like custodian management, legal hold notifications, review sets for detailed analysis, and machine learning for predictive coding, ideal for complex investigations.

Here is how you can backup SharePoint Online data using eDiscovery (Standard) feature:

Create a case:

Step 1: Sign in to the Microsoft Purview Portal using a user account with the required eDiscovery permissions.
Step 2: In the portal’s left-hand navigation pane, select Solutions and then choose eDiscovery.

Step 3: Select Standard cases from the Classic eDiscovery drop down.

Step 4: On the eDiscovery (Standard) page, click Create a case.
Step 5: In the New case panel, enter a unique name for the case (required) and, optionally, add a description. Click Save to finalize and create the case.

Step 5: Enter the Case name and Description. Click Save.

The next step is to create a Hold. When you place content locations on hold, content is preserved until you remove the content location from the hold or until you delete the hold.

How to create a hold in eDiscovery

Step 6: Within the selected case, go to the Hold tab and click Create to start the hold creation process.

Step 7: Give the hold policy a name (required). The hold policy name must be unique in your organization. Add an optional description to help others understand this hold policy.

Step 9: Toggle on the SharePoint sites to choose location. Choose sites to be included in the hold.

Step 10: To define the parameters of your hold policy, you can choose from the following options on the Hold policy tab:
Use the Query builder for filtering, such as keywords, date, Sender/Author, Size, etc applying date ranges or property-based conditions.
Alternatively, use Keyword Query Language (KeyQL) to create advanced, complex queries or paste pre-defined ones directly. Microsoft Security Copilot can assist in generating KeyQL queries.

Step 13: Review your settings and click on Submit to create the hold.

Limitations of SharePoint backup using eDiscovery feature

eDiscovery is designed for legal data preservation, not comprehensive backups or easy data restoration.
Recovering data through eDiscovery can be complex and time-consuming, lacking the efficiency of dedicated backup solutions.
Each user has limited storage available. If you delete files to stay within the storage limit, the deleted files cannot be recovered. Also, if the user account is deleted, then the backup data is lost forever.
eDiscovery does not perform integrity checks or data validation, which are standard features in dedicated backup solutions to ensure data is not corrupted.
eDiscovery feature is available only for organizations with Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 or E5 plans.

Option 3 : How to back up SharePoint Online using compliance retention policies

Retention policies in Microsoft 365 help organizations manage data by controlling how long content is retained, deleted, or retained and then deleted. Retention policies allow organizations to:

Ensure compliance: Retain content for required periods to meet industry regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which mandates retaining specific data types for seven years.
Reduce risk: Permanently delete outdated content to lower risks related to litigation or security breaches.
Enhance agility: Help users focus on relevant and current content, improving collaboration and knowledge sharing.

By applying retention policies at the container level (e.g., SharePoint sites), you ensure that all content in those containers automatically inherits the same settings.

How to set up retention policy for SharePoint Online:

Step 1: Log in to the Microsoft Purview Portal using your admin credentials.
Step 2: Open Data Lifecycle Management > Policies > Retention policies.
Step 3: Click New retention policy.

Step 4: Provide a unique name for the policy and an optional description.

Step 5: Decide between Static and Adaptive scopes:
Static Scope: Select specific SharePoint sites manually.
Adaptive Scope: Use pre-configured rules to automatically include sites based on criteria like user groups or metadata.

Note: Adaptive scope is available only with Microsoft 365 E5 or equivalent.

Step 6: To choose where to apply the retention policy, toggle SharePoint sites to On and select the sites to include. Optionally, you can exclude specific sites that don’t require retention.

Step 7: Configure how content is managed:
Retain items for a specific period: Items will be retained for a chosen period. Retention period can also be set based on when the items were created or when it was last modified. At the end of the retention period, you can choose to automatically delete content.
Retain items forever: Items will be retained forever, even if users delete them.
Only delete items when they reach a certain age: Items won’t be retained, but when they reach the age you choose, items will be deleted.