What to do with Microsoft Entra ID Tenant Inactivity?

Question

Could someone please answer the following questions for me concerning this email?

Action required: Make a purchase by July 21, 2025 to continue using your tenant. You are receiving this email because your associated Microsoft Entra ID tenant (tenant ID […]) has been inactive for more than 200 days.

 

(1) What is this Microsoft Entra ID?

Please don’t tell me that it “provides identity and access management (IAM) capabilities for the applications and resources used by your organisation,” or that it “is a directory object used for authenticated purposes.” I wish to know, concretely, from a user-interface perspective, how I have interacted with Microsoft Entra (or, apparently, also known as “Azure”), what data of mine could be found there, and for what purposes one would use Microsoft Entra.

 

(2) How can I backtrack in what way I am connected to Microsoft Entra?

I have a Microsoft 365 subscription. However, that subscription is with a different email (outlook) than the email account (Gmail) on which I received this notification of inactivity with Microsoft Entra. Frankly, I have no idea in what way my Gmail account is connected to this Microsoft Entra. This is why I also need to understand what Microsoft Entra is.

 

(3) Do I lose any data?

I have seen several similar questions on various fora but I didn’t understand the answer. One thing I did understand is that there is no loss of personal data, and I am sure that once my first two questions are answered, I will know the answer to this question. Still, I would like to have confirmation that no data will be lost across any of my Microsoft accounts.

Answer 1

Hello Lucas,

Thanks for your question.

I would try to assist you in understanding this.

What is Microsoft Entra ID in plain terms?

It is an simply online account system run by Microsoft. https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/entra/fundamentals/whatis You may have used it when you signed up for a Microsoft product with any email address. For example: If you ever clicked a Microsoft login button and used your Gmail, Microsoft may have created a directory or “tenant” with your Gmail as the owner. You can see this tenant if you go to https://entra.microsoft.com and sign in with your Gmail address. The tenant holds a record of your identity, user accounts, and any cloud services u touched while logged in with that Gmail.

How can I backtrack in what way I am connected to Microsoft Entra?

The easiest way is to go to https://entra.microsoft.com and try signing in with your Gmail. Check Enterprise applications in the sidebar and look for any apps or accounts listed there. Generally Think back: did you use any Microsoft service e.g test Microsoft Teams, Power Automate, or other cloud apps with your Gmail? If yes, Microsoft made a tenant to manage access. That’s why you got this email.

Will you lose any data?

If you used this tenant for a developer sandbox, trial, or any app with your Gmail, those settings and any data tied to them will be deleted.

Your regular personal data is not affected. If you never used the Gmail-based tenant for anything, deleting it will not affect your other Microsoft accounts or email.

I hope this has been helpful to you.

You can mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you

Regards,

Abiola