Start with what your organisation needs to recover
Teams may hold the documents, conversations and meeting material people depend on each day. But “Teams backup” is not a precise promise of what could be restored after a mistake or an incident. First decide which information and working arrangements matter, then check how each part is protected.
A recovery plan should answer more than whether a backup job succeeded. It should say which workloads are in scope, how far back a restore can go, who can start it and whether a representative recovery has been tested.
Where does Teams information live?
Channel files are held in the team's SharePoint site. Files shared in a chat are held in OneDrive. Teams conversations and the structure of teams and channels use a separate chat service; Microsoft also keeps data in hidden mailbox locations for information-protection functions. These different locations matter when you choose protection and plan a restore.
Restoring a SharePoint site or a OneDrive account should not be assumed to recreate every conversation, membership or setting. Microsoft's Teams data architecture explains how the workloads fit together.
Does Microsoft 365 Backup cover all of Teams?
Microsoft's current Microsoft 365 Backup overview lists selected SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts and Exchange mailboxes as protected workloads. Those can contain important Teams-related information, especially files, but that list does not establish a complete operational restore of Teams chats, channel messages, membership or identity.
A third-party backup service may have different coverage and recovery options. Its exact capabilities depend on the selected product, configuration and contract. Ask for the protected workloads and restore methods in writing rather than relying on a generic “Microsoft 365 backup” label.
Retention and eDiscovery settings answer different questions about keeping and finding information. They should not be presented as a tested route to resume a working team after an incident. Microsoft's Teams retention guidance describes the message locations and policy controls.
Five questions to ask before relying on a backup
- Which files are in scope? Identify the SharePoint sites and OneDrive accounts used by the teams and chats that matter. Check what is excluded.
- What happens to conversations and team structure? Ask whether the selected service protects chats, channel messages, teams, membership and settings, and at what restore level.
- Where is other meeting material held? Locate important recordings, notes and related content in your own environment, then confirm whether those locations are protected.
- Who can carry out recovery? Agree who can authorise and start a restore, what access is needed and how the result will be checked with users.
- Has recovery been tested? Agree the required retention period and test a representative restore. Record what was recovered, how long it took and any gaps that remain.
If only part of the collaboration workspace can be recovered, staff still need to know how to work and communicate. Include that possibility in your wider continuity plan rather than assuming one tool will put everything back.
Make the scope clear before an incident
CompTech can help map the Microsoft 365 workloads that matter to your organisation, compare a proposed protection approach with your recovery needs and document who owns each next step. The product and level of cover must be agreed for your environment; this guide does not promise a particular Teams restore capability.
Explore our backup and disaster recovery approach, or tell us what you need to recover.
Sources reviewed 28 September 2026: Microsoft Teams data architecture, Microsoft 365 Backup overview and Teams retention guidance. Product features can change; check the current documentation and the selected service before relying on a coverage claim.
About this guide
This guide replaces the earlier article at this address with freshly written practical guidance and current primary references.
Use this guidance alongside your organisation’s policies and agreed IT support arrangements. Product features and licence terms can change; check the linked supplier guidance before making a purchase or changing settings.