Microsoft 365 SharePoint backup

Microsoft 365 Backup covers SharePoint site collections that are included in a backup policy. Because SharePoint tends to hold the largest and oldest data in a tenant, it is usually the biggest line item on a native backup bill and the best place to apply a scoped policy.

What is protected

• SharePoint team site and communication site content that is in scope.
• File version history within those sites.
• Recycle-bin and second-stage recycle-bin content during the retention window.
• Channel files for Teams because they are stored in SharePoint.

What makes the SharePoint bill bigger than expected

The per-GB rate of $0.15 applies to the protected size, not the visible current-files size. SharePoint sites that have been active for years can carry many versions of the same documents. A single PowerPoint or CAD file may have dozens of historical versions, and each version is billable under native backup.

The other hidden cost is stale sites: team or project sites that have not changed in a year but still hold data. They continue to accrue protected gigabytes every month unless they are explicitly excluded. Scoping them out is usually the fastest way to reduce a tenant's backup bill without losing anything you would actually restore.

What you can leave out of a SharePoint backup policy

• Sites with no activity in the last 12 months and no active users.
• Test, training or sandbox sites.
• Archive project sites where the business has agreed not to restore content.
• Sites covered by a separate records-management or long-term archive solution.

A scoped policy does not delete the excluded content; it just stops backing it up under native backup. If you ever need it back, you will need another source, which is why this decision should be documented.

Teams channel files

Files shared in standard Teams channels are stored in the underlying SharePoint site, so they are protected when that site is in scope. Chat messages themselves are not protected, even when the channel files are. If Teams chat matters to the business, native backup is not enough.

Retention and restore limits

SharePoint backups are retained for up to one year and restored into the same tenant. There is no offline copy, no export to another provider, and no multi-year retention option. If the site collection was deleted outside the backup retention window, it cannot be recovered.

When SharePoint backup is enough

Native SharePoint backup works well for organisations that need point-in-time recovery of site content within a year, can live with in-place restores, and have separated active project data from stale archives. The biggest lever on cost is scoping, not switching products.

Calculate SharePoint backup cost What native backup doesn't cover

Frequently asked questions