Tutorial / Cram Notes
Microsoft 365 Groups are a foundational element in Microsoft Teams, providing a shared workspace for collaboration across various Microsoft services such as SharePoint, Outlook, and Planner. To manage groups effectively and maintain an organized environment, expiration policies can be implemented. An expiration policy will automatically manage the lifecycle of a group by setting an expiration timeframe after which the group is considered inactive and potentially subject to deletion unless renewed.
Understanding Expiration Policies
An expiration policy can help keep your environment clean by removing groups that are no longer active. When you set such a policy, owners of the groups are asked to renew their groups if they are still needed. If no action is taken, the groups expire and are deleted along with their associated content, such as:
- Email conversations in Outlook
- SharePoint site and files
- Planner tasks
- Teams channel conversations
Configuring the Expiration Policy
Step 1: Access the Azure Active Directory Admin Center
- Begin by signing into the Microsoft Azure portal at https://portal.azure.com.
- Navigate to Azure Active Directory from the left-hand navigation pane.
Step 2: Navigate to Groups
- Within the Azure Active Directory pane, select “Groups”.
- Find and click on “Expiration” under the “Settings” category.
Step 3: Define the Expiration Settings
- Enable the expiration policy by toggling it on.
- Specify the group lifetime in days. For example, you can set a policy to expire the group after 180, 365, or a custom number of days.
Step 4: Select Groups for the Policy
You can apply the policy to:
- All Microsoft 365 groups
- Selected Microsoft 365 groups
Step 5: Notification and Group Renewal
- Configure the notification settings to alert group owners that their group will expire soon.
- Determine the period when the first and subsequent reminders are sent to group owners to renew their group. For instance, reminders can be set to be sent 30 days, 15 days, and 1 day before the expiration date.
Step 6: Save the Configuration
- After setting the parameters, save the configuration to apply the policy to the groups you selected.
What Happens When a Group Expires?
When a Microsoft 365 group reaches its expiration date, and the group owners have not renewed the group, the following occurs:
- The group is marked for deletion.
- Content associated with the group, as mentioned earlier, becomes inaccessible.
- Owners receive a 30-day grace period during which they can still restore the group if they notice it was deleted unintentionally.
Example and Considerations
Imagine a company that has implemented Microsoft 365 groups for each departmental project. To ensure that only active projects occupy space and resources, they set an expiration policy of 365 days. The settings would be as follows:
| Setting | Example Value |
|---|---|
| Lifetime of group (days) | 365 |
| Notification days before expiry | 30, 15, 1 |
| Apply to | All Microsoft 365 groups |
When a group called “Project Delta” hits the 335th day (365 – 30), the owner receives the first notification. If the project is still active, the owner can promptly renew the group, preventing any disruption in collaboration.
Best Practices
- Communicate the Policy: Ensure all users and group owners are aware of the expiration policy to avoid any unwelcome surprises.
- Regularly Review the Policy: Assess your policies periodically to adjust them according to the changing needs of your organization.
Conclusion
Configuring an expiration policy is a relatively simple yet powerful way to keep your Microsoft Teams and associated workspaces efficient and clutter-free. By setting up automated lifecycles for Microsoft 365 groups, you ensure that only the relevant and active groups remain in the system, thus promoting better governance and resource management.
Implementing an expiration policy requires understanding the needs of your organization, clear communication with group owners, and continuous monitoring and adjusting of your policy settings to ensure that the collaboration within Microsoft Teams continues to be effective and aligned with your organization’s operational requirements.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: You can set an expiration policy for Microsoft 365 groups within the Azure Active Directory admin center.
- True
Correct answer: True
Explanation: An expiration policy for Microsoft 365 groups can be configured in the Azure Active Directory admin center under Groups > Expiration.
What is the default expiration period for a Microsoft 365 group when an expiration policy is applied?
- A. 30 days
- B. 90 days
- C. 180 days
- D. 365 days
Correct answer: C. 180 days
Explanation: By default, the expiration policy sets the group to expire 180 days after it’s created or from the last renewal.
True or False: When a Microsoft 365 group reaches its expiration date, it is immediately and permanently deleted.
- False
Correct answer: False
Explanation: When a Microsoft 365 group reaches its expiration date, it’s marked for deletion but there is a 30-day grace period during which the group can be restored.
Who receives the renewal notifications for a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
- A. Only the group owner
- B. All group members
- C. The tenant administrator
- D. Both the group owner and the tenant administrator
Correct answer: A. Only the group owner
Explanation: Only the group owners receive notifications to renew the group before the expiration date.
True or False: You must be a global administrator or a User administrator in Azure AD to configure Microsoft 365 groups expiration policies.
- True
Correct answer: True
Explanation: To configure expiration policies for Microsoft 365 groups, you need to have global administrator or User administrator rights in Azure AD.
When can a Microsoft 365 group be renewed to extend its expiration period?
- A. After it has expired
- B. 30 days before the expiration date
- C. Anytime during the lifecycle of the group
- D. Only at the time of group creation
Correct answer: C. Anytime during the lifecycle of the group
Explanation: A Microsoft 365 group can be renewed at any time during its lifecycle, which resets the expiration timer.
How can group owners renew their Microsoft 365 groups?
- A. Through the Microsoft Teams admin center
- B. Via email notification links
- C. Through the Azure portal
- D. All of the above
Correct answer: B. Via email notification links
Explanation: Group owners can renew their Microsoft 365 groups by clicking on the link provided in the email notification sent prior to the group’s expiration.
True or False: An expiration policy for Microsoft 365 group can be configured only at the tenant level and cannot be customized for individual groups.
- False
Correct answer: False
Explanation: An expiration policy for Microsoft 365 groups can be set at the tenant level, but you can also select specific groups for which you want to configure custom expiration settings.
What happens to the contents of a Microsoft 365 group when the group expires and is not renewed?
- A. The contents are retained forever
- B. The contents are immediately deleted
- C. The contents are archived
- D. The contents are marked for deletion
Correct answer: D. The contents are marked for deletion
Explanation: When a Microsoft 365 group expires and is not renewed, the content is marked for deletion but is recoverable within the grace period.
True or False: It’s possible to disable the expiration policy for a Microsoft 365 group after it has been enabled.
- True
Correct answer: True
Explanation: The expiration policy can be disabled for a Microsoft 365 group even after it has been enabled by updating the policy settings in the Azure AD admin center.
To apply a custom expiration policy to a particular Microsoft 365 group, what must you do?
- A. Delete and recreate the group with the new policy
- B. Apply the policy through the Exchange admin center
- C. Add the group to an expiration policy with custom settings
- D. Call Microsoft support to make the change
Correct answer: C. Add the group to an expiration policy with custom settings
Explanation: To apply a custom expiration policy to a specific Microsoft 365 group, you need to add the group to an expiration policy that has been configured with the desired custom settings.
What happens if a Microsoft 365 group is not renewed even after the grace period?
- A. The group is automatically renewed
- B. The group and all its content are permanently deleted
- C. The group is converted into a distribution list
- D. The group remains active, but its contents are deleted
Correct answer: B. The group and all its content are permanently deleted
Explanation: If a Microsoft 365 group is not renewed within the expiration period or the subsequent grace period, the group and all its associated content, such as emails, files, and sites, are permanently deleted.
Interview Questions
What is a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
A Microsoft 365 group expiration policy automatically deletes a group and its associated content after a set amount of time.
What types of groups can be covered by a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
Microsoft 365 group expiration policies can cover Office 365 groups, Microsoft Teams teams, and Microsoft 365 groups created through Power Platform.
What is the default expiration period for a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
The default expiration period is set to 365 days (1 year).
How can you set up a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
You can set up a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center or by using PowerShell.
What happens when a Microsoft 365 group expires?
When a Microsoft 365 group expires, it is deleted along with all its associated content, including conversations, files, and calendar items.
Can you exclude certain Microsoft 365 groups from the expiration policy?
Yes, you can exclude certain groups from the expiration policy based on specific criteria, such as membership size or usage.
How can you view groups that are covered by a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy?
You can view groups that are covered by a Microsoft 365 group expiration policy in the Microsoft 365 admin center or by using PowerShell.
Can you customize the message that is sent to group owners when a group is about to expire?
Yes, you can customize the message that is sent to group owners and include information such as why the group is being deleted and what actions they can take to keep it.
What happens if a group owner does not take any action when they receive a notification that their group is about to expire?
If a group owner does not take any action, the group will be deleted along with all its associated content.
Can you restore a Microsoft 365 group that has been deleted due to an expiration policy?
No, you cannot restore a Microsoft 365 group that has been deleted due to an expiration policy. However, you can recover the group within 30 days using the Azure Active Directory portal.
Great post! I was looking for a way to configure an expiration policy for Microsoft 365 groups. This seems very doable.
Can someone clarify if we can set different expiration policies for different groups within the same tenant?
How does the renewal notification work? Does it notify the group owner or the members?
Thanks! Very helpful.
What happens if no one renews the group?
Is there a way to automate notification reminders?
Can we exclude some groups from the expiration policy?
Appreciate the elaborate explanation.