Transferring files when someone leaves in Microsoft 365
How to safely transfer a departing employee's OneDrive files and email to another person before deleting their Microsoft 365 account.
When someone leaves your organization, their Microsoft 365 account holds email, files, and calendar data that your business may need. Before you delete their account, you need to transfer or preserve this data.
Quick summary
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, you can transfer a departing user's OneDrive files to another person's OneDrive when deleting the account. For email, convert their mailbox to a shared mailbox so the team can still access it. Do both steps before the account is fully deleted — you have a 30-day window after deletion to restore, but it's much simpler to act beforehand.
What you'll need
Admin access required 15–30 minutes- Admin access to the Microsoft 365 admin center
- The name of the person who will receive the files
Step 1: Access the leaver's OneDrive before deleting
As an admin, you can access a user's OneDrive at any time — even before deleting the account:
Sign in to the admin center at admin.microsoft.com.
Go to Users → Active users and click the leaver's name.
Click the OneDrive tab in their profile.
Click Create link to files. This gives you a direct link to browse their OneDrive. You can download specific files or folders from there.
Step 2: Transfer their OneDrive files when deleting
The easiest method is to transfer ownership during the deletion process:
Go to Users → Active users, find the leaver, and click Delete user.
In the deletion wizard, look for the OneDrive section. Check the box to Give another user access to their OneDrive files.
Search for and select the recipient — the person who should receive the files.
Complete the deletion. The recipient will receive an email with a link to a folder in their OneDrive called "[Leaver's name] OneDrive Files." They can then move files to wherever they belong.
How long does the recipient have to retrieve the files?
By default, the files are accessible to the recipient for 30 days after the account is deleted. After that, they may be removed. Move or copy any needed files to a permanent location promptly.
Step 3: Handle their email
You have two main options for the leaver's email:
Option A: Convert to a shared mailbox (recommended)
Converting their mailbox to a shared mailbox keeps their email accessible without needing a paid license. Other team members can be added to access and respond to emails that arrive.
Go to Teams & groups → Shared mailboxes in the admin center.
Or, go to Users → Active users, open the user profile, and look for the option to Convert to shared mailbox before or during deletion.
Add the appropriate team members as users of the shared mailbox so they can access the history.
Option B: Set an auto-reply and let email expire
If their email address is no longer needed, you can set an out-of-office auto-reply informing senders that the person has left and who to contact instead. You can do this from the admin center under the user's settings before deleting the account.
Step 4: Review other shared resources
Before deleting the account, check:
- Teams channels — remove them from any relevant channels so notifications stop
- SharePoint sites — check if they were a site owner, and reassign ownership if so
- Distribution groups — see Distribution groups & lists to remove them
- Calendar events — if they owned recurring meetings, reschedule or reassign them
After deletion
Once you've completed the steps above and deleted the account:
- The license becomes available to assign to a new user
- The account remains in Deleted users for 30 days in case you need to restore it
- Any files you didn't transfer are deleted permanently after 30 days
You cannot recover files after the 30-day window
After 30 days, deleted accounts and their data are gone permanently. Set a reminder to check that all needed files have been transferred within that window.
Common questions
Related guides
- Removing a user safely
- Shared mailboxes in Microsoft 365
- OneDrive basics
- Security steps when someone leaves
- Transferring files when someone leaves Google Workspace
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