Not by default. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace keep their services running and hold deleted items for a limited time, typically 14 to 93 days, but neither gives you a long-term, independent backup of your email, files and calendars. A third-party backup fills that gap.
What Microsoft and Google run is a dependable service. What they don’t run, by default, is a long-term backup of your business’s email, files and calendars. The gap between those two things is where data goes missing.
Does Microsoft 365 actually back up your data?
Not in the way most people mean. Microsoft keeps its service running and gives you recycle bins with limited recovery windows, and it recommends in its Services Agreement that customers regularly back up their content. Recovering a deleted item from a recycle bin is not the same as having a backup.
The recommendation is in the service availability section of the Microsoft Services Agreement, which is written for Microsoft’s consumer services. The same split applies to business subscriptions under Microsoft’s shared responsibility model for the cloud: Microsoft runs the platform, and you remain responsible for your data, accounts and identities. Where that data physically sits matters too, which is why many Canadian businesses care about Canadian data residency.
How long are deleted files and emails kept?
It depends on the item. Deleted email in Exchange Online is recoverable for 14 days by default (an admin can raise that to 30), SharePoint and OneDrive files for 93 days, and a deleted user account for 30 days. Google Workspace is similar. After those windows, the data is gone unless you hold a separate copy.
| What was deleted | Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| A deleted email | 14 days by default in Exchange Online once purged from Deleted Items; admins can extend to 30 days | 30 days in Trash, then up to 25 more days for an admin to restore |
| A deleted file | 93 days in SharePoint and OneDrive recycle bins (both stages combined) | 30 days in Drive trash, then up to 25 days for an admin to restore after the trash is emptied |
| A deleted user account | 30 days to restore the account and its data | 20 days to restore the account |
Sources: Microsoft Learn, Exchange Online; Microsoft Support, SharePoint recycle bin; Microsoft Learn, restore a user; Google Workspace Admin Help. Windows can vary with your plan and how your tenant is configured, so treat this as the default picture and confirm your own settings.
Why a recycle bin isn’t a backup
A recycle bin is built for “oops”. It rescues the file you deleted five minutes ago. A backup is built for “something went wrong and we only noticed weeks later”. Those are different jobs, and the second one is the one that costs money.
Here are the situations we see most often:
- A former employee’s account is removed to free up a licence, and a few weeks later someone needs a client file from their mailbox. Depending on the platform, the window to bring that account back may already be closed.
- Someone deletes a folder in January and nobody notices until the year-end review.
- A compromised account or a ransomware infection wipes or encrypts files, and the damage syncs out to the cloud copies.
- An admin cleaning up the system deletes more than intended.
The common thread is time. Native recovery windows are measured in weeks. Problems are often discovered in months.
What does a third-party backup add?
A third-party backup keeps a separate, independent copy of your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace data, stored outside your own accounts and kept for as long as you choose. That means you can restore a file, a mailbox or a whole account from a specific point in time, even after the platform’s own recovery window has closed.
- An independent copy. If an account is compromised, the backup isn’t sitting inside it.
- Retention you control. You decide how long copies are kept, rather than accepting the platform default.
- Point-in-time and granular restore. Bring back one email, one folder or one person’s whole account as it looked on a given date.
- Coverage for departures. When someone leaves and their licence is removed, their data doesn’t have to disappear with it.
Backup is one piece of the bigger picture. Our complete guide to cloud management covers how it fits with hosting, security and recovery, and our comparison of on-premise servers and cloud hosting for Ontario businesses is a useful read if you’re still deciding where your data should live.
Five questions to ask about your own setup
- Who is responsible for backing up our Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace data, and is that written down anywhere?
- What are our current retention settings for email and files?
- How far back can we restore a single mailbox or folder, and who can do it?
- What happens to a departing employee’s data once their licence is removed?
- When did we last test a real restore?
If any of those answers is “I’m not sure”, that’s the gap.
How we help London businesses protect their data
Western I.T. Group is a managed IT provider based in London, Ontario. Looking after where your data lives and how it’s protected is part of our WIT Cloud service, and our post on securing your business data with WIT Cloud explains the approach.
Want a second opinion on where you stand?
We offer a free 15-minute data protection check. We’ll review how your data is protected today, show you where the gaps are, and give you a clear recommendation and price if a third-party backup makes sense. Book your check with our London team, or call 519-936-8985. Western I.T. Group is at 415 Hamilton Road in London, Ontario.
Frequently asked questions
Does Microsoft back up my Microsoft 365 data?
Microsoft keeps its service running and gives you recycle bins and limited recovery windows, but its services agreement recommends that you regularly back up your own content and data. For long-term or point-in-time recovery you need a separate backup.
Is Google Workspace backed up automatically?
Google keeps deleted Gmail and Drive items in Trash for 30 days, and admins can restore data for up to 25 days after it is permanently deleted. A deleted user account can be restored within 20 days. After that, the data is gone unless you have your own backup.
How long can I recover a deleted Outlook email?
Once an item has been purged from the Deleted Items folder, Exchange Online keeps it recoverable for 14 days by default. An admin can extend that to a maximum of 30 days.
We use SharePoint and OneDrive. Isn’t that already a backup?
They are storage and sync services with recycle bins, not independent backups. Deleted files are kept for 93 days in total across both recycle bin stages, and anything that syncs, including damage from ransomware or a compromised account, syncs to the cloud copy too.
How often should we test a restore?
At least a couple of times a year, and after any major change such as a migration or a new backup tool. A backup you’ve never restored from is an assumption, not a safety net.
Related reading
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Recoverable Items folder in Exchange Online
- Microsoft Support: Restore deleted items from the site collection recycle bin
- Microsoft Learn: Restore a user in the Microsoft 365 admin center
- Google Workspace Admin Help: Recover deleted files and folders for Drive users
- Microsoft Services Agreement (consumer terms, section on service availability)
- Microsoft Learn: Shared responsibility in the cloud
- BackupVault: Recovering deleted Gmail messages (vendor source, used for Gmail Trash timing)