Configurable recovery window for Microsoft 365 Backup

[What and Why:]

We're introducing configurable recovery window for Microsoft 365 Backup, allowing administrators to define backup recovery windows between 3 months and 2 years at the policy level. Previously, recovery window was fixed at 1 year. This enhancement provides greater flexibility to align data protection practices with organizational compliance requirements, cost considerations, and business continuity strategies—improving control over backup lifecycle management.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 481834.

[Rollout Schedule:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Beginning late July 2026; expected to complete by early August 2026
• General Availability (Worldwide): Beginning late July 2026; expected to complete by early August 2026

[Impact on Your Organization:]

Who is affected: Microsoft 365 administrators managing Microsoft 365 Backup policies

Platforms/Services:

• Microsoft 365 admin center (web)
  
• Microsoft 365 Backup

What will happen:

• Admins can configure recovery window per backup policy between 3 months and 2 years.
• The default recovery window remains 1 year unless changed.
• Existing policies will not be modified automatically.
• Recovery window can be set during policy creation or editing.
• The feature is enabled by default but requires manual configuration to change settings.
• Reducing recovery window on an existing policy will:
• Permanently delete backup data outside the new recovery window.
• Apply deletion after a defined grace period.

[Action Required/Recommendations:]

No immediate action is required before rollout.

After rollout, we recommend:

• Review existing Microsoft 365 Backup policies to confirm if the default 1-year recovery window meets your needs.
• Evaluate whether shorter or longer recovery window aligns with your compliance and recovery objectives.
• Inform backup and IT administrators about this new capability.
• Plan carefully before reducing recovery window to avoid unintended permanent data loss.
• Update internal documentation and governance procedures if applicable.

To configure recovery window:

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center: Open Microsoft 365 admin center
2. Navigate to Microsoft 365 Backup
3. Select a backup policy
4. Open "Update recovery window"
5. Set the recovery window (3 months to 2 years)
6. Review and confirm changes

[Compliance considerations:]

Consideration	Explanation
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?	Recovery window duration for backup data is configurable. Shortening it may result in permanent deletion of backup data beyond the new window after a grace period.
Does the change modify retention policies, holds, or deletion workflows (Purview)?	While separate from Purview retention, this introduces configurable backup recovery window behavior that directly impacts data lifecycle and deletion timing of the backups.
Does the change include an admin control?	Admins can configure recovery window per backup policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center.