M365Clarity · M365 Backup
Microsoft 365 Backup (generally available since October 2024) is a paid add-on that provides point-in-time restore for Exchange Online mailboxes, SharePoint Online sites, and OneDrive for Business accounts. It's separate from the built-in recycle bin and versioning features — it's designed specifically for recovering from ransomware attacks, accidental mass deletion, and data corruption scenarios that exceed the standard retention windows.
M365 Backup covers three workloads: Exchange Online (up to 180 days of restore points for mailboxes), SharePoint Online (up to 180 days for sites), and OneDrive for Business (up to 180 days for user drives). Unlike the 93-day recycle bin, M365 Backup retains point-in-time snapshots that can be restored at the item, folder, or full mailbox/site/drive level.
Important: M365 Backup is an add-on licence — it's not included in any standard Microsoft 365 plan. It's typically purchased alongside E3, E5, or Business Premium subscriptions.
M365Clarity scans your tenant to verify whether M365 Backup protection policies are configured for each of the three workloads. It checks Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive separately and surfaces any workloads where backup hasn't been enabled or where coverage is incomplete — for example, if backup is configured for Exchange and SharePoint but not for OneDrive drives.
M365 Backup is managed through the Microsoft 365 admin centre under Settings → Microsoft 365 Backup. You'll need a Microsoft 365 Backup licence for each workload you want to protect, and you'll configure protection policies to specify which mailboxes, sites, and drives to cover. Full coverage means selecting all users and all sites, not just a subset.
M365Clarity scans your Microsoft 365 configuration and shows you exactly what's in your plan, what's configured, and what's sitting idle — in plain English.
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