Taking Control of Your Data
If you have a OneDrive account with over 1TB of data, and the account has been removed, but the data remains in retention, you might wonder how to regain control and delete those files. Even if you’ve added yourself as a site admin on the OneDrive site, removing these files might not be straightforward. Here’s how to manage this situation:
Step 1: Ensure that you are signed in as a global administrator, as this role has the necessary permissions to manage OneDrive data effectively.
Step 2: Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, which is your hub for managing all aspects of your Microsoft 365 subscription.
Step 3: In the Admin Center, locate the “Show All” option. This will give you access to a comprehensive list of administrative options.
Step 4: Under the “Admin centers” section, find and click on “Security & Compliance.” This is where you can manage retention policies and data.
Step 5: Within the Security & Compliance center, you will find “Data governance.” Click on this to access data management settings.
Step 6: Under Data Governance, select “Data management.” This is the section where you can define retention policies.
Step 7: Create or modify a retention policy that suits your needs. You can specify how long data should be retained and when it should be permanently deleted.
Step 8: Once your retention policy is set up, apply it to the OneDrive account with the retained data.
Step 9: After applying the policy, it may take some time for the changes to take effect. Be patient as the system processes the deletion requests.
Step 10: After the processing period, verify that the data has been permanently deleted from your OneDrive account.
By following these steps, you can effectively manage and delete retained data from your OneDrive account, even after it has been removed. This process ensures that you maintain control over your data and adhere to your organization’s data retention policies.