M365 Archiving Best Practices to Archive Smarter, Not Harder

While retention, migrations, and backups often steal the spotlight, archiving deserves attention too. SharePoint sites can quickly become cluttered with outdated files, redundant content, and unused team spaces, making it harder to find what matters and driving up storage costs. Microsoft 365 Archive helps to address digital clutter, providing an easy way to move an entire SharePoint site to a less expensive storage space. However, it’s important to have a plan based on best practices before clicking that transfer button.

Why Archive with M365?

There are two main benefits to using Microsoft 365 Archive. The first is saving money. Since active SharePoint storage costs more, choosing to archive old sites can significantly lower storage costs.

The second is a cleaner environment. When old sites are archived, they get removed from the environment, making it easier for users to find current and relevant information. This action also improves Copilot, because it prevents the agent from finding and using outdated content to answer questions.

How to Archive Smarter in M365

Microsoft 365 Archive is a powerful tool that works best when you have a plan in place. Following are some simple best practices to guide you through the process.

Start with a Governance Plan

Before you archive anything, work on a plan, including defining what counts as “inactive.” For example, is it one that has had no activity in the past 12 months or a closed project from over three years ago. Be clear when defining your reasons for archiving sites.

Understand The Costs

It’s true that storing an archived site costs less than maintaining an active one; however, there is also a cost to reactivate a site out of the archive. For this reason, we recommend archiving only when you are confident you won't need to access it frequently.

Find the Right Sites to Archive

How do you find which sites are inactive? The best place to start is the Inactive Sites Report in the SharePoint Admin Center. This report shows all the sites that have had no user activity for a defined period, thereby providing a clear list of potential sites for archiving.

Use Retention Policies to Automate Archiving

Manually archiving sites can be a complex and time-consuming task, therefore we recommend setting up policies to automatically archive sites on a predetermined basis. When going with this method, it is important to ensure the policy aligns with the business, as reactivation fees can add up quickly.

Take Advantage of Large File Clean Up

While M365 Archive provides cheaper cold storage, there are times when it may be more appropriate for content to be sent to the recycle bin. Consider reviewing site storage metrics and reviewing the largest content, such as random movies and pictures that are no longer needed.

Tip: Review your versioning settings on sites prior to archiving. Significant cost savings can be realized simply by purging older, outdated versions before archiving.

M365 Archive isn’t just about saving on storage; it’s a smart governance tool. With the right strategy, it helps reduce clutter, cut costs, and improve search accuracy across your Microsoft 365 environment.