💡 Our Technical Review in summary
Summary
- Microsoft is updating the OneDrive offboarding process to simplify how managers and secondary owners handle files from departing employees.
- The update introduces a “Move and keep sharing” feature, allowing for bulk file transfers to new locations while automatically preserving existing access permissions.
- The rollout is currently underway and is expected to reach General Availability (including GCC, GCCH, and DoD environments) by late April 2026.
- This feature is tracked under Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 493946.
Impact
- Manager Self-Service: When an account is deleted, the designated manager or secondary owner receives automated, redesigned email notifications with direct access to the departing user’s OneDrive.
- Data Continuity: The new “Keep sharing with the same people” toggle during the move process eliminates the need to manually re-share documents, reducing broken links and workflow disruptions.
- Improved Visibility: New filtering options allow managers to distinguish between “Shared” files and “All” files, making it easier to prioritize the transfer of collaborative data.
- Reduced Notification Fatigue: For bulk moves (six or more files), external and internal collaborators will receive a single consolidated notification rather than individual alerts for every file moved.
- Retention Clarity: Managers will receive a final automated reminder seven days before the OneDrive is permanently deleted, reducing the risk of accidental data loss.
Action Required
- Update Documentation: Internal IT knowledge base articles and offboarding checklists should be updated to include the new “Move and keep sharing” steps.
- Manager Training: Inform department heads and managers of the redesigned email alerts and the streamlined process for claiming departing team members’ data.
- Review Retention Policies: Verify your organization’s OneDrive retention period settings in the SharePoint Admin Center to ensure managers have adequate time to perform these transfers.
- Configuration Check: No specific admin toggle is required to enable this; however, ensure that “Manager” attributes are correctly populated in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) to ensure access is granted to the correct individual automatically.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: stayInformed
Severity: normal
Updated February 17, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction
We’re introducing enhancements to OneDrive that simplify the process of managing files when employees leave your organization. These updates improve visibility, streamline bulk transfers, and help ensure important content remains accessible and shared appropriately.
This feature is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 493946.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, DoD): We will begin rolling out in mid-October and expect to complete by late April 2026 (previously end of January).
How this affects your organization
Managing OneDrive content for departing employees is now more efficient. Key improvements include:
- Redesigned notifications: Account cleanup emails are now more prominent, reducing the chance of being overlooked.
- Improved filtering: New filters help managers quickly locate shared or important files.
- Bulk file transfer with preserved sharing: The “Move and keep sharing” feature allows multiple files to be transferred while retaining existing sharing permissions.
- Consolidated alerts: When six or more files are moved, collaborators receive a single streamlined notification.
These updates help ensure a smooth handover and reduce the risk of losing critical files.
When a user account is deleted, OneDrive access is automatically granted to the manager or designated secondary owner. The recipient receives an email notification with access details and information about the OneDrive retention period. Seven days before the retention period ends, a second reminder email is sent, stating that the OneDrive will be permanently deleted in seven days.
Steps to transfer files:
- From the email, click View files to access the departing user’s OneDrive.
- Use the Shared filter to view only shared files, or All to see everything.
- Select files using the checkbox in the table header.
- Click Move to, choose a destination, and check Keep sharing with the same people.
- Click Move to again to complete the transfer.
Collaborators will receive a single notification once the move is complete:
What you can do to prepare
No admin action is required before rollout. You may want to:
- Inform managers and secondary owners about the new experience.
- Update internal documentation to reflect the new transfer process.
- Watch this guided walkthrough: Simplified file transfer for departing employees
Learn more: OneDrive retention and deletion – SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.
