What happens to files after they are deleted from Microsoft Teams?
The answer might surprise you. Although there is no visible trash can or recycling bin in Teams, it does exist. To access this recycling bin, you must open the Sharepoint Document Library that corresponds to your Microsoft Teams’ site. To do this, click on the “Files” tab in any channel, and then click the “Open in Sharepoint” icon in the upper-right-hand corner of your page.
Once the Sharepoint site has loaded in your browser, click “Recycle bin” from the left-hand navigation menu to access it. Here you will find a list of files that have been recently deleted from your team. For each file in the recycle bin, you will have the option to delete or restore it.
Delete will send the file to a second-stage recycle bin accessible by team owners and Microsoft365 admins only. Restore will restore a file to its original location in your Microsoft Teams’ site.
Files that are not restored or deleted from the recycle bin page will be permanently deleted after 93 days*. This is also true of files that are deleted and sent to the Second-stage recycle bin. Unless a team owner or Microsoft365 admin acts to restore those files within 93 days of the original deletion from Microsoft Teams, they will be permanently deleted. This is one of many reasons why it is important to keep your list of team owners up-to-date!
Q: What should I do if a file must be deleted immediately, and I don’t want it to be retained for 93 days?
A: If you are a team owner, first delete the file from Teams, and then from the Recycle bin. Next, scroll down to the very bottom of the Recycle bin page, and click on the link for the Second-stage recycle bin. Deleting the file from this page will permanently delete the file.
If you are not a team owner, you do not have the power to permanently delete files, and must contact the team owner for assistance.
* 93 days is the time frame that was selected by Microsoft365 administrators at George Mason University. Other institutions may utilize a different time frame.