How long can I restore a deleted Microsoft 365 group?

Microsoft normally keeps deleted Microsoft 365 groups for 30 days. After that the group is permanently deleted unless you have your own backup.

Can I restore a deleted security group?

Not from Microsoft's recycle bin, which covers Microsoft 365 groups. If you have a storiv snapshot of the group, you can restore it from there.

Who can restore a deleted group?

An administrator with permission to manage groups, such as a Global Administrator or Groups Administrator.

Guide · Updated 2026-10-27

How to restore a deleted Microsoft 365 group

When a Microsoft 365 group is deleted, Microsoft keeps it for a limited time and you can bring it back. Here is how, and what to do when that window has passed.

Restore from the admin center

Sign in as a Global Administrator, or another admin role that can manage groups.
Open the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Teams & groups, then Deleted groups. You can also use Groups, then Deleted groups, in the Entra admin center.
Select the group and choose Restore group.
Check the group's members, owners, mailbox, files and any connected Team once it is back.

Restore with Microsoft Graph

List deleted groups under deleted items, then call the restore action on the object ID: POST /directory/deletedItems/{id}/restore. The same works from the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module.

Things to check

The window: deleted Microsoft 365 groups are normally kept for 30 days. After that they are permanently deleted.
Only Microsoft 365 groups go to this recycle bin. Security groups and distribution lists are generally deleted outright, so there is nothing to restore from the portal.
A restored group may take some time to show everything again. Check files, the mailbox and Teams content before telling users it is fixed.

When the window has passed, or it was a security group

That is where a backup helps. storiv takes snapshots of your Entra ID groups with history, so you can restore a deleted group and its membership from a saved copy. Restores start with a preview and never delete anything.

storiv restores the group in Entra ID. It does not rebuild a Team, a shared mailbox or the files of a deleted Microsoft 365 group from a group restore alone.

Common questions

How long can I restore a deleted Microsoft 365 group?: Microsoft normally keeps deleted Microsoft 365 groups for 30 days. After that the group is permanently deleted unless you have your own backup.
Can I restore a deleted security group?: Not from Microsoft's recycle bin, which covers Microsoft 365 groups. If you have a storiv snapshot of the group, you can restore it from there.
Who can restore a deleted group?: An administrator with permission to manage groups, such as a Global Administrator or Groups Administrator.

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