Microsoft announced that it will soon be releasing a major upgrade to Microsoft 365 Backup, giving administrators the ability to restore individual files and folders instead of entire locations or drives. The new feature aims to speed up data recovery, dramatically reducing the time it takes when a single file or folder is damaged or deleted.
Microsoft 365 Backup is a backup service for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange designed to protect data from accidental deletion, corruption, or ransomware attacks. Until now, data recovery was done at the site or drive level, which meant that even the loss of a single file required a full restore of the entire backup , a time-consuming process that could significantly impact business continuity.
Detailed file-level recovery
The new feature allows administrators to browse existing restore points for protected SharePoint sites and OneDrive accounts and select only the files or folders they need. This reduces recovery time and increases administrators’ flexibility in data management.
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File or folder level restore will be available only to tenants that have already enabled Microsoft 365 Backup and only to administrators who have the SharePoint Backup Administrator. End users will not notice any changes to their daily experience, as all restore operations will be performed by administrators and will remain invisible to the user interface.
According to a Microsoft announcement, the feature has been in public preview since early March 2026 and is expected to be widely released between April and early May 2026. The company emphasized that the new feature allows data recovery without changing backup storage, maintaining existing security policies and procedures.
Benefits for managers and businesses
Granular recovery gives administrators greater control when it comes to personal data or critical information. Instead of restoring entire sites, they can recover only specific files or folders, reducing the risk of service disruption or data loss for other users.
Microsoft advises customers to prepare by reviewing Microsoft 365 Backup coverage for SharePoint and OneDrive, training administrators on the new workflow, and updating internal recovery playbooks to include file and folder-level restore scenarios.
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Connecting to Windows Backup for Organizations
Microsoft also recently expanded Windows Backup for Organizations, enabling corporate users to restore personal settings and Microsoft Store apps from previous Windows 11 devices. This integration strengthens the overall corporate data protection, allowing administrators to address data loss with greater accuracy and efficiency.
Recovery time reduction and data protection strategy
The new file-level restore feature is part of a broader Microsoft strategy to reduce recovery time and enhance business continuity. Especially for large organizations where the loss of even one file can have serious consequences, this capability offers significant time savings and reduces the risk of human error during the recovery process.
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Administrators now have the ability to respond quickly to data loss incidents, limit the impact to specific parts of the infrastructure, and maintain a high level of privacy. Centralized management, combined with granular recovery, makes the process more efficient and secure, while maintaining full compliance with Microsoft security policies and standards.
With the upcoming release, Microsoft demonstrates its intention to offer administrators and businesses more granular, flexible, and secure backup tools, enhancing data protection in an environment that is constantly evolving and becoming more demanding.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
