Microsoft to Add Granular File Restore to Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft has recently previewed updates across its Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including improvements to Copilot in Word and Teams. Now the company is also enhancing its backup and recovery capabilities.

According to a Microsoft 365 Message Center update (MC1245216), Microsoft is introducing granular restore capabilities to Microsoft 365 Backup. The change will allow administrators to recover individual files and folders instead of restoring entire SharePoint sites or OneDrive drives.

Microsoft 365 Backup introduces file and folder-level recovery

Previously, backup recovery in Microsoft 365 operated only at the site or drive level. This meant that recovering a single deleted or corrupted file required administrators to restore an entire SharePoint site or OneDrive drive.

With the new update, administrators can browse and search backup restore points and recover only the data they need.

The feature enables administrators to locate specific files or folders inside backup snapshots and restore them directly without affecting the rest of the environment.

This approach should significantly reduce recovery time and simplify incident response when data loss occurs.

Feature limited to organizations using Microsoft 365 Backup

Granular restore will only be available to organizations that already have Microsoft 365 Backup enabled.

Additionally, only administrators with the SharePoint Backup Administrator role will be able to perform these restore operations.

Microsoft says the changes will not affect end users directly because backup recovery remains an administrative task performed behind the scenes.

Preview rollout begins ahead of broader release

The granular restore capability entered public preview in early March 2026.

Microsoft expects the feature to reach general availability between late April and early May 2026 for organizations worldwide.

Before the rollout completes, Microsoft recommends that organizations review their SharePoint and OneDrive backup coverage, train backup administrators on the granular restore workflow, and update internal recovery procedures to account for file- and folder-level recovery scenarios.

Microsoft continues expanding Microsoft 365 capabilities

The backup improvements arrive as Microsoft continues expanding features across the Microsoft 365 platform.

The company is currently developing a built-in screenshot tool for Copilot that will allow users to capture and attach screenshots directly inside Microsoft 365 apps. In enterprise environments, Microsoft has also delayed the automatic migration from classic Outlook to the new Outlook client until March 2027, giving organizations more time to prepare for the transition.

The granular restore feature aims to make Microsoft 365 Backup more practical for day-to-day recovery tasks while helping administrators respond faster to accidental deletions and data loss incidents.

Via Bleeping Computer