Query on deletion

Question

Hi all,

I am using sharepoint online. One of our SharePoint sites has Microsoft Teams recordings saved. Some of the recordings are being automatically moved to the SharePoint recycle bin by the SharePoint app.

Is there a way to prevent SharePoint App from deleting these recordings? We do not have any SharePoint deletion policies in place, and I’m not sure whether a Teams policy could be causing this.

Answer 1

In SharePoint Online, if your Teams recordings are being automatically moved to the recycle bin, it's likely due to the expiration settings associated with Teams meeting recordings. Teams meeting recordings are subject to expiration policies that can delete recordings after a certain period. Even if you do not have specific SharePoint deletion policies in place, the Teams meeting recording expiration policy may still apply.

To prevent the automatic deletion of these recordings, you can check the following:

1. Teams Meeting Recording Expiration Policy: Review the expiration settings for Teams meeting recordings. If a policy is set to delete recordings after a specific time, you may need to adjust this policy.
2. Retention Policies: Ensure that there are no retention policies in Microsoft Purview that could be affecting the recordings. Retention policies can prevent deletion but also dictate how long items are kept.
3. Manual Deletion: Users can manually delete recordings before the expiration date unless a retention policy prevents it. If users are deleting recordings, they will be moved to the recycle bin.

If you want to retain the recordings longer, consider implementing a retention label policy that applies to these recordings to ensure they are not deleted automatically.

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References:

• Manage Teams recording policies for meetings and events
• Learn about retention for Microsoft Teams

Answer 2

Dear @Glenn Maxwell,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, Microsoft Teams meeting recordings stored in SharePoint are being automatically moved to the SharePoint Recycle Bin by the SharePoint app, you wonder how can prevent this, and is it controlled by Teams or SharePoint deletion/retention policies.

Here are some information and suggestions you can refer to:

Microsoft Teams meeting recordings are moved to the SharePoint (or OneDrive) Recycle Bin as a result of the Teams meeting recording expiration policy, not because of any SharePoint deletion or retention policy.

Teams controls the lifecycle of meeting recordings by assigning an expiration date through Teams meeting recording policies. When a recording reaches its expiration date, Teams initiates the deletion. SharePoint (or OneDrive) only acts as the storage backend and executes the delete command issued by Teams, which is why the action appears in audit logs as “Deleted by SharePoint app.”

Because the deletion is initiated by Teams, it cannot be prevented using SharePoint deletion or retention policies alone. SharePoint does not independently decide to delete Teams recordings.

To prevent recordings from being removed, you must:

• Configure the Teams meeting recording expiration policy (for example, extend the expiration period or disable expiration)
• Apply a Microsoft Purview retention policy, which can override the deletion attempt and protect the recording from permanent deletion.

For more detail information: Manage Teams recording policies for meetings and events

I hope information above meet your expectation, if you need any other support, please feel free to reach out.

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