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Restore SharePoint Online Data
Restore SharePoint Online Data
Updated over 2 weeks ago

License editions: To understand the applicable license editions, see Plans & Pricing.

Overview

Restoring SharePoint Online data ensures business continuity by making data available for future reference and recovery in case of accidental deletion or malicious activities.

Key Benefits

Administrators can use the restore feature in the following scenarios:

  • Recover a Purged site: Restore a site with the same Title and URL or create a completely new site with a different title.

  • Restore site contents: Recover backed-up site contents to another existing or new site.

SharePoint Site Attributes Affecting Restore

The restore process in the inSync Management Console depends on the following SharePoint site attributes:

1. Type of SharePoint Site Template

2. State of the SharePoint Site

  • Active: The SharePoint site exists in your environment.

  • Deleted: The SharePoint site is present in the Recycle Bin.

  • Purged: The SharePoint site has been permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin.

3. SharePoint Site Components Available for Restore

  • The App status of the SharePoint site must be Enabled before performing a restore. Attempting to restore a disabled site will result in the following error:
    ​"Unable to trigger restore request as site collection is disabled."
    ​    For instructions on enabling a disabled SharePoint site, refer to Manage Site Collections for SharePoint Online.

  • Restoring a Team Site or a Private Channel Site that has been permanently deleted or moved to the Microsoft 365 tenant recycle bin is not supported.

Restore Options

Administrators can restore SharePoint Online data through the inSync Management Console to various locations, depending on their selection:

1. Restore to the Same Site

  • In-Place Restore: Restores data to the same site collection from which it was backed up.

  • Restore as a Copy: Creates a new subsite within the same site collection and restores the data into this new subsite.

2. Restore to a Different Site

  • Restore one site's data to another existing site.

  • Restore as a Subsite: Creates a subsite with the same title and restores data to it.

3. Restore to a New Site

Creates a completely new site with a unique URL and restores data to it.

For further details, refer to the Support matrix for restore.

Support matrix for restore

Here's a matrix that lists the supported restore location and options for SharePoint Online data.

Full Site Restoration Options

Template

Site State

Restore Location

Available Restore Options

Modern

Active

Same Site

In-Place, Restore as a Copy

Modern

Active

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Modern

Active

New Site

Restore as a new Site

Modern

Purged

Same Site

Restore as a new site

Modern

Purged

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Modern

Purged

New Site

Restore as a new Site

Modern

Deleted

Same Site

Not Supported

Classic

Active

Same Site

In-Place, Restore as a Copy

Classic

Active

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Classic

Active

New Site

Not Supported

Classic

Purged

Same Site

Not Supported

Classic

Purged

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Classic

Purged

New Site

Not Supported

Classic

Deleted

Same Site

Not Supported

Subsite & Content Component Restoration Options

Template

Site State

Restore Location

Available Restore Options

Modern

Active

Same Site

In-Place, Restore as a Copy

Modern

Active

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Modern

Active

New Site

Restore as a new Site

Modern

Purged

Same Site

Restore as a new site

Modern

Purged

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Modern

Purged

New Site

Restore as a new Site

Modern

Deleted

Same Site

Not Supported

Classic

Active

Same Site

In-Place, Restore as a Copy

Classic

Active

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Classic

Active

New Site

Not Supported

Classic

Purged

Same Site

Not Supported

Classic

Purged

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

Classic

Purged

New Site

Not Supported

Classic

Deleted

Same Site

Not Supported

Settings Only Restoration Options

Template

Site State

Restore Location

Available Restore Options

Modern

Active

Same Site

In-Place

Modern

Purged

Same Site

Not Applicable

Modern

Deleted

Same Site

Not Applicable

Modern

Deleted

Different Site

Not Applicable

Modern

Deleted

New Site

Not Applicable

Classic

Active

Same Site

In-Place

Classic

Purged

Same Site

Not Applicable

Classic

Deleted

Same Site

Not Applicable

Classic

Deleted

Different Site

Not Applicable

Classic

Deleted

New Site

Not Supported

Things to consider:

  • The In-Place Restore and Restore as Copy options will fail if subsite creation is disabled in SharePoint when restoring data.
    ​

  • You cannot restore a subsite if the subsite creation is disabled in SharePoint. For example:

    • Restoring a site with a subsite will complete with errors as the subsite restore fails.

    • Restoring a specific subsite will fail as the subsite creation setting is disabled in SharePoint.

  • Restore of empty files or 0 KB files in SharePoint is not supported.

Restore SharePoint Data Using Druva Console

❗ Important

  • Due to a Microsoft API limitation, all team sites (hidden sites for Microsoft 365 Groups, Teams Web App) are restored with the classic template when restored as a copy.

  • The add a new site and restore purged site (to the same site by creating a new site) functionalities are available only for Teams Sites, Communication Sites, and Group Sites.

  • Group Sites (Modern Sites) are restored as Teams Sites.

An administrator can restore SharePoint data using the inSync Management Console as mentioned below.

Restore Scenarios 1: Full Site Restore

FullSite_infographic.png

Restore Location

Restore Option

Description & Notes

Same Site (Active)

In-Place Restore

Overwrites existing data in the site collection with the restored data.

Same Site (Active)

Restore as a Copy

Creates a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp>.

Same Site (Purged) (Modern site template only)

Restore as a New Site

Creates a new site with the same URL and title, then restores data.

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

A subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp> is created under the destination site. Within this subsite, another subsite with the same title as the source site is created. The data from the source site is restored to this subsite.
​

Example:

• Source Site Title: Marketing (the site from which data is being restored)

• Destination Site Title: Finance (the site where data is to be restored)

When you perform the restore, a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp> is created under the Finance site. Inside this subsite, another subsite titled Marketing is created, where the data is restored.

New Site (Modern site template only)

Restore as a New Site

Creates a new site with the provided title, restoring selected data and settings.

📝Note: If Skip is selected, the default settings will be applied. If Overwrite is selected, settings are restored only if complete data is selected. If Apply is selected, the settings from the selected page are applied.

Restore Scenarios 2: Restore full Teams Site and Private Channel sites (Modern or Classic template)

Full site_Teams and Private channel.png

Restore Location

Restore Option

Description

Same Site (Active)

In-Place Restore

Overwrites existing data in the site collection with the selected restore data.

Same Site (Active)

Restore as a Copy

Creates a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp>.

📝Note: If Skip is selected, settings will not be restored. If Overwrite is selected, settings are restored only if complete data is selected.

Restore Scenarios 3: Only SharePoint Data (Document Libraries, List, Site, Files, Folders) restore

Sharepoint data-SubsiteDL,Files Folders_infographic.png

Restore Location

Restore Option

Description & Notes

Same Site (Active)

In-Place Restore

Overwrites existing data in the site collection with the restored data.

Same Site (Active)

Restore as a Copy

Creates a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp>.

Same Site (Purged) (Modern site template only)

Restore as a New Site

Creates a new site with the same URL and title, then restores data.

Different Site

Restore as a Subsite

A subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp> is created under the destination site. Within this subsite, another subsite with the same title as the source site is created. The data from the source site is restored to this subsite.
​

Example:

• Source Site Title: Marketing (the site from which data is being restored)

• Destination Site Title: Finance (the site where data is to be restored)

When you perform the restore, a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp> is created under the Finance site. Inside this subsite, another subsite titled Marketing is created, where the data is restored.

New Site (Modern site template only)

Restore as a New Site

Creates a new site with the provided title, restoring selected data and settings.

📝Note: If Skip is selected, the default settings will be applied. If Overwrite is selected, settings are restored only if complete data is selected. If Apply is selected, the settings from the selected page are applied.

❗ Important

If the URL length of the file or folder you want to restore is close to or exceeds 400 characters, restore may fail using "Restore as a Copy" option due to Microsoft limitation. Instead, you can use either the "In-place Restore" or "Restore as a New Site" option to perform the restore.

Restore Scenarios 4: Subsite, Document Library, Lists of Teams and Private Channel sites (Modern or Classic template)

DL_Subsite_Teams and Private Channel site.png

Restore Location

Restore Option

Description

Same Site (Active)

In-Place Restore

Overwrites existing data in the site collection with the selected restore data.

Same Site (Active)

Restore as a Copy

Creates a subsite named <inSync Restore datetimestamp>.

📝Note: If Skip is selected, settings will not be restored. If Overwrite is selected, settings are restored only if complete data is selected.

Restore Scenarios 5: Only SharePoint Settings restore

Only Settings_infographic.png

Restore Location

Restore Option

Description

Same Site (Active)

In-Place Restore

Overwrites existing data in the site collection with the selected restore data.

Restoring SharePoint Data

Prerequisites

  • Ensure that backups are enabled for the SharePoint site you want to restore.

  • Familiarize yourself with Ransomware Recovery for M365 to understand quarantined snapshots.

Step 1: Access the SharePoint Backup Page

  1. Sign in to the Druva Cloud Platform Console.

  2. Navigate to Microsoft 365 > SharePoint. A list of all discovered sites appears.

  3. Click the site name you want to restore. The site page appears if backup is enabled.

  4. Click the Backup page to view the available snapshots.

📝 Note:

  • A quarantined snapshot is marked with a padlock icon and cannot be restored or downloaded.

  • The latest clean snapshot is marked with an exclamation point icon and cannot be deleted.

Step 2: Select a Snapshot and Restore Data

  1. On the Summary page, click Restore Data.

  2. On the Snapshot Viewer page, use the snapshot selector to choose the snapshot from which you want to restore data.

📝 Note: A quarantined snapshot is marked with a red dot icon and cannot be restored or downloaded.

  1. Browse through the backup site collections and select the sites and subsites to restore.

  2. Alternatively, use the Search feature to find specific files:

    • Enter the file name in the search box.

    • Search files using SHA1 checksums.

    • Apply filters to refine search results:

      • File Extensions: Filter by document type.

      • Time Modified: Select a modification time range.

      • Time Created: Select a creation time range.

      • File Size: Specify a file size range.

  3. Click Search. The matching files appear in the results.

  4. Select the desired files.

  5. Use the snapshot selector again if needed to pick the correct version of the data.

❗ Important:

  • If SharePoint Online sites, subsites, lists, or document libraries contain a "/" (forward slash) in their name, the snapshot displays an "_" (underscore) instead.

  • If Federated Search is enabled, filter results using metadata attributes or site/subsite names. See Search backed up data to restore for details.

Step 3: Restore Data

  1. Click Restore. The Restore window appears.

  2. Select the Restore Location and Restore Options, which vary based on the selected SharePoint Site component:

    • Full Team

    • Only SharePoint Data

    • Only Settings

  3. Proceed with the restore action. A confirmation message appears when the restore is successfully initiated.

💡 Tip: If restoring a deleted site collection (Classic site template), create a new site collection with the same URL as the deleted one before restoring its data.

📝 Notes:

  • If a selected site collection is enabled for backup but no backup has been initiated, a No Content Backed Up message appears.

  • Due to Microsoft API limitations, the following cannot be restored:

    • Rating Settings

    • Regional Settings

  • In Restore as a Copy for SharePoint data (excluding Settings), files and folders are restored to the Site Contents folder.

  • In-Place Restore is required for the following SharePoint site data:

    • List Templates

    • Theme Gallery

    • Web Parts

    • Device Channel

    • Solution Gallery

  • Microsoft API restrictions prevent searching Site Titles using a suffix string; however, prefix string searches are supported (e.g., starting with _, +, /, \, -, double/single quotes).

  • When creating a new site or restoring a purged site, the global administrator is assigned as the site owner by default.

Restore a Specific Version of a File

If a file has multiple versions in the snapshots, you can restore or download a specific version.

Steps to Restore a Specific File Version

  1. Click the version indicator for the file in the search results. The Version History appears.

  2. Select the specific version to restore or download.

  3. Click Restore or Download.

Support for hierarchical restore of SharePoint Online data

Overview

Hierarchical restore allows you to restore SharePoint Online data while maintaining the complete hierarchy structure (Subsite, Document Library, Folder, etc.) as found in the original site. This guide explains how hierarchical restore works and what to expect in different restore scenarios.

❗ Important: This also applies to files selected for restore from the Federated Search wizard.

📝 Note: When restoring file and folder content, if you want to restore Site Contents along with its backed-up settings, you must select the corresponding settings.json file from the backup snapshot. For example, to restore Document Library (DL1) with its backed-up settings, select the DL1 settings.json file from the backup snapshot.

How Hierarchical Restore Works

The hierarchical restore workflow is based on two key parameters:

  1. Data selected for restore - File or folder

    • For file selection: File parent ID logic is applied

    • For folder selection: Path logic is applied

    • This is applicable for In-Place restore

  2. Type of restore

    • In-Place

    • Restore as a Copy

    • Restore to a different site

    • Restore to a new site

Here's an example.

Consider you have the following hierarchy: site1/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt. The path for sub1 is deleted. The hierarchy is restored as follows based on the data selected for restore and the type of restore.

Scenario 1: File Restoration (file1.txtis selected for restore)

  • In-place restore: site1 /sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt
    ​

  • Restore as a Copy:
    ​site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt
    ​

  • Restore to a different site:
    ​existing_site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt
    ​

  • Restore to a new site: new_site1/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt

📝 Note

In the above example, as sub1 path is deleted, in case of In-Place restore of file1.txt selection, inSync creates the missing hierarchy i.e. sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1/file1.txt.

Scenario 2: Folder Restoration (Folder1 selected)

  • In-place restore: site1/ sub1 / sub2 / DL1 / Folder1
    ​

  • Restore as a Copy:
    ​site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1
    ​

  • Restore to a different site:
    ​existing_site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1
    ​

  • Restore to a new site: new_site1/sub1/sub2/DL1/Folder1

Scenario 3: Document Library Restoration (DL1 selected)

  • In-place restore: site1/ sub1 / sub2 / DL1/<All Files and Folders within DL1>
    ​

  • Restore as a Copy: site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1
    ​

  • Restore to a different site:
    ​existing_site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2/DL1
    ​

  • Restore to a new site: new_site1/sub1/sub2/DL1

Scenario 4: Subsite Restoration (sub2 selected)

  • In-place restore: site1/ sub1 / sub2
    ​

  • Restore as a Copy: site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2
    ​

  • Restore to a different site:
    ​existing_site1/<inSync Restore datetimestamp>/sub1/sub2
    ​

  • Restore to a new site: new_site1/sub1/sub2

Special Considerations for In-Place Restore

  1. File Restore with Renamed Parent Folder

If a parent hierarchy is present and the folder within it is renamed and you perform In-Place restore by selecting a file, inSync restores only the selected file based on the parent id of the file.

For example, you have the following hierarchy: site/DL1/f1/f2/f3/f4/samplefile.txt

The folder f2 is renamed to f2new (site/DL1/f1/f2new/f3/f4/). Now, you select samplefile.txt and perform In-Place restore. As the parent hierarchy for the selected file which is f4 is already present, inSync will restore only samplefile.txt as follows:

Folder rename_file restore.png

2. Folder Restore with Renamed Parent Folder

If a parent hierarchy is present and the folder within it is renamed and you perform In-Place restore by selecting a folder, insync restores only the selected folder based on the path of the folder.

For example, you have the following hierarchy: site/DL1/f1/f2/f3/f4/samplefile.txt

The folder f2 is renamed to f2new (site/DL1/f1/f2new/f3/f4/). Now, you select f4 and perform In-Place restore. As the path for the selected folder is already present, inSync restores data as follows:

folder_rename_folder selected1.png

SharePoint Restore Considerations

Before you initiate SharePoint restore, review the following considerations.

  • In-place restore partially completes for ASPX, JS, and HTML file types if the SharePoint site URL contains two or more continuous dots (..).

  • Draft site pages restore considerations:

    • If the site pages are published once and then moved to the draft state, the site pages get published after restore.

    • If the site pages are never published and are in draft state, then the site pages remain in the draft state after restore.

  • Classic site - Publishing portal template restore considerations:

    • Default .aspx files are not restored.

    • Published site pages are restored in draft state.

    • If only site pages are restored, the restored pages are not accessible on the SharePoint site.

  • Quick Launch restore is not supported in the following scenarios:

    • For a new site restore, site collection level Quick Launch is not supported.

    • Quick Launch for unpublished site pages is not supported.

  • Audit properties for wiki pages are not restored.

  • The page author (in the page heading) for the site page is not restored when you are restoring to a different site.

  • The ‘Modified’ and ‘Modified By’ fields are not restored for published site pages.

  • Task List restore is not supported.

  • The layout of the SharePoint site is not restored.

  • User-created homepage of the site is not set as the default homepage on the restored site.

  • In-place restore of .js files is not supported for the Publishing portal and Enterprise wiki.

  • The restore of comments added on the site pages is not supported.

  • Site owners are restored with limited access when restored to a different site.

  • Restore of Web Parts is not supported.

  • Syntex license is not supported for restoring content type hub.

  • The 'About me' field from a custom SharePoint group is not restored.

  • Custom column in managed metadata cannot be restored in the below cases:

    • If the system failed to restore.

    • If the admin does not select “ site settings ” for the deleted term store while restoring it.

    • If the term store or term set is not attached when the column is created in the global term store and in the site store it is deleted.

  • Restoring SharePoint site content can significantly increase storage usage. This is primarily due to the behavior of Microsoft 365 Document Libraries: every file modification generates a new version, resulting in storage

  • consumption growth by a factor of 1x each time the file is updated. The restoration process involves three steps: file restore, metadata restore, and audit properties restore, which collectively increase storage consumption by 3X.

    To mitigate the storage impact during the restore, versioning is temporarily disabled for the new sites and automatically re-enabled once the restore process is complete.

    However, versioning is not disabled for in-place restores involving an existing Document Library, leading to regular storage usage.

Related Articles
Get started with SharePoint Online Data Protection
Configure inSync to protect SharePoint Online
Backup SharePoint Online data
SharePoint Online FAQs
USER GUIDE: Preparing the Environment to Configure backup and restore for SharePoint Online.
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