Three ways to archive SharePoint content, and what each is for
"Archiving" covers three different jobs in SharePoint. Microsoft 365 Archive retains inactive data by moving it into a cold storage tier within SharePoint, where it keeps the same searchability, security and compliance standards (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft Purview retention labels and policies keep content for a required period in its original location, without separate storage or custom copy processes (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention policies and retention labels, accessed 2026-10-20). Export to Azure Blob Storage takes files out of SharePoint into tiers priced for rarely accessed data (Microsoft Learn, Access tiers for blob data, accessed 2026-10-20). The first answers "how do we get stale sites out of the way", the second answers "how long must this survive", and the third answers "where does content live after it no longer belongs in Microsoft 365". Most large estates need all three, and EPC Group's SharePoint consulting practice designs them as one lifecycle rather than three projects.
Microsoft 365 Archive: cold storage inside SharePoint
When a site is archived, everything in it moves: document libraries, folder structures and files, lists and list data, and all permissions and metadata. The content is no longer directly accessible to anyone, it stops consuming the tenant's active storage quota, and it counts toward Microsoft 365 Archive storage instead. Archive is managed in the SharePoint admin center by SharePoint Administrators, and Microsoft recommends notifying site owners and users before a site is archived (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Setup requires pay-as-you-go billing first; the toggle then sits in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings > Org settings > Pay-as-you-go services > Settings > Storage services > Archive, and turning it on also lets users archive individual files on SharePoint sites by default (Microsoft Learn, Set up Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20).
The limits shape the design. Publishing sites, channel sites and some legacy site templates cannot be archived; Teams sites with private or shared channels are only partially supported; reactivated files cannot be archived again for 120 days; and OneNote files, SharePoint pages, SharePoint agents and the Site Assets library are excluded from file-level archive (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft notes that file-level archive does not reduce a site's reported storage usage, so it cannot be used to fit a site under its quota (Microsoft Learn, Frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group therefore archives at site level for storage and estate cleanup, and uses file-level archive only where users understand how to reactivate a file at its original location. At scale, SharePoint Advanced Management inactive site policies can notify owners monthly for three months, then set an unattested site to read-only for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months before archiving it through Microsoft 365 Archive (Microsoft Learn, Manage inactive sites by using inactive site policies, accessed 2026-10-20).
Retention labels and policies: archiving in place
Retention is the compliance half of archiving. A retention policy or label can retain content, delete it, or retain and then delete it. When a user edits or deletes an item covered by a retention policy, or by a label that marks items as records, SharePoint copies the original to the Preservation Hold library, a hidden system location created for the site; a timer job then deletes expired items through the second-stage Recycle Bin, where they are permanently removed after 93 days (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive, accessed 2026-10-20). Retention labels can also mark content as a record or a regulatory record, which blocks edits and deletion. Because the Preservation Hold library sits in the site's storage quota, a long retention period can increase storage use (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention policies and retention labels, accessed 2026-10-20).
Retention and Microsoft 365 Archive work together rather than compete. Archived content still honors the retention and deletion periods of any retention policy or label, a retention hold can be applied to archived content without reactivating it, and archived files move to the Preservation Hold library when their retention configuration requires it (Microsoft Learn, Compliance features in Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft also states that archived sites are supported by retention policies and labels in addition to active sites (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive, accessed 2026-10-20). EPC Group's Microsoft Purview practice sets the file plan first, so archiving decisions never shorten a required retention period.
Export to Azure Blob Storage: when content leaves SharePoint
Some content belongs outside Microsoft 365 altogether: records that must outlive a tenant consolidation, application output that no user collaborates on, or raw data kept only for a legal obligation. Azure Blob Storage offers four access tiers. Hot is for frequently used data; cool suits infrequent access with a 30-day minimum; cold suits rarely accessed data that still needs fast retrieval, with a 90-day minimum; and archive is an offline tier for data that tolerates latency measured in hours, with a 180-day minimum and an early deletion charge if it leaves sooner. Archived blobs cannot be read or modified until they are rehydrated to an online tier, which can take up to 15 hours, and the archive tier is supported only on LRS, GRS and RA-GRS storage accounts (Microsoft Learn, Access tiers for blob data, accessed 2026-10-20).
The trade-off is control. Content copied to Blob Storage leaves SharePoint permissions, SharePoint search and the Microsoft 365 retention scope, so the storage account needs its own access model, index and retention design. EPC Group uses export only after the retention schedule confirms the content may leave Microsoft 365, and documents the chain of custody for each batch.
Search, restore, storage and Copilot exposure
For day-to-day operations, the differences come down to four behaviors. Search: archived sites stay discoverable to Microsoft Purview Content Search, end-user search and eDiscovery (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Restore: an archived site returns from Active sites in the SharePoint admin center with its permissions, lists, pages, files and site-level policies (Microsoft Learn, Manage Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20), instantly within seven days and within 24 hours after that (Microsoft Learn, Archive states in Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Storage: if archive billing is turned off or unhealthy, archived content counts as active storage again (Microsoft Learn, Pricing model for Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Copilot: Microsoft lists archiving as a site lifecycle step when preparing for Microsoft 365 Copilot, because users cannot access an archived site until it is reactivated (Microsoft Learn, Get ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents with SharePoint Advanced Management, accessed 2026-10-20).
Documented work
ANON-CASES: EPC Group engagement data for SharePoint archiving covers mid-size and large organizations in healthcare, financial services, energy and the public sector with years of inactive team and project sites, where scope included site inventory, retention file plans, inactive site policies and staged Microsoft 365 Archive rollouts, delivered by the firm's SharePoint consulting and SharePoint governance consulting practices. Client names are not published here. Engagements are described by industry and organization size only, and no outcome figures are quoted that cannot be traced to a signed deliverable. EPC Group is a Microsoft Solutions Partner with all six Solutions Partner Designations as of October 2026.
Primary sources
- Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Pricing model for Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Set up Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Archive states in Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Manage Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Compliance features in Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365 Archive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Learn about retention policies and retention labels — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Access tiers for blob data — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Manage inactive sites by using inactive site policies — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
- Get ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents with SharePoint Advanced Management — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-20
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Microsoft 365 Archive, and how does Microsoft price it?
Microsoft 365 Archive moves inactive SharePoint sites and files into a cold storage tier inside SharePoint while keeping their searchability, security and compliance settings (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft bills it through pay-as-you-go: storage is charged per GB per month, and only when archived plus active SharePoint storage exceeds the tenant's included or licensed storage; reactivating archived SharePoint content carries no fee (Microsoft Learn, Pricing model for Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Microsoft publishes the current meter rate on its pay-as-you-go pricing page, and EPC Group quotes no figure here.
How do retention labels and policies archive content in place?
Retention settings keep content in its original location. When someone edits or deletes an item under a retention policy, or under a retention label that marks it as a record, SharePoint copies the original to the hidden Preservation Hold library (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention for SharePoint and OneDrive, accessed 2026-10-20). Settings can retain only, delete only, or retain and then delete, and the Preservation Hold library counts against the site storage quota (Microsoft Learn, Learn about retention policies and retention labels, accessed 2026-10-20). Retention controls how long content must survive; it does not move content to cheaper storage or take it out of daily view.
When is export to Azure Storage the right answer?
EPC Group reserves export for content that has no further collaboration value, must outlive the Microsoft 365 tenant, or belongs to an application rather than to users, such as scanned records or system output. Azure Blob Storage offers hot, cool, cold and archive tiers; the archive tier is offline, data should stay there at least 180 days, and rehydration can take up to 15 hours (Microsoft Learn, Access tiers for blob data, accessed 2026-10-20). Exported files leave SharePoint search and SharePoint permissions, so EPC Group designs access control, indexing and retention for the storage account before anything moves.
How is archived content searched and restored?
For Microsoft 365 Archive, full content search still works for Microsoft Purview Content Search, end-user search and eDiscovery, though export of archived content can take longer (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Restoring is a reactivation from Active sites in the SharePoint admin center. A site or file is instant to reactivate during its first seven days in the Recently archived state and can take up to 24 hours after that (Microsoft Learn, Archive states in Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). Reactivated sites return with their permissions, lists, pages, files and metadata (Microsoft Learn, Manage Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20).
How does archiving reduce storage costs and Copilot exposure?
An archived site no longer consumes the tenant's active SharePoint storage quota and counts toward Microsoft 365 Archive storage instead (Microsoft Learn, Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive, accessed 2026-10-20). For Copilot, Microsoft states that archived content is not directly accessible to users until reactivation and that Copilot is not trained on archived content, which keeps stale sites out of responses (Microsoft Learn, Get ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents with SharePoint Advanced Management, accessed 2026-10-20). Retention alone does neither: retained content stays active and visible. EPC Group pairs archiving with an inactive site policy so the estate stays lean between reviews.
Talk to a senior architect
If your SharePoint estate carries years of inactive sites and you need a defensible plan for what to archive, retain or export, a 30-minute discovery call with a senior EPC Group architect covers the site inventory, the retention constraints and a first-pass archive policy. See the SharePoint consulting service hub for engagement structures.
Email contact@epcgroup.net or call 888-381-9725.
a Microsoft Gold Partner (2000 until Microsoft retired the program in 2022) — today holding all six Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations.
Documented engagements
Each record publishes a redacted primary-source document — a client purchase order, executed agreement or payment record — with a SHA-256 hash you can recompute, and states what the document does not establish.
- Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services — ContractedCase study: CFMWS: SharePoint Consulting Support (2014)
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Contracted — countersignedCase study: New York Fed: SharePoint Center of Excellence (2010)
- National Institutes of Health — Work-product evidencedCase study: NIH: SharePoint Center of Excellence Design (2010)
- NASA Johnson Space Center — ContractedCase study: NASA: Agency SharePoint Center of Excellence (2009)Case study: NASA JSC: SharePoint Site Provisioning Solution (2009)
- Stryker — Delivered — payment-corroborated (client payment records published)Case study: Stryker: SharePoint Center of Excellence (2012)
- Novartis — Contracted — countersignedCase study: Novartis: SharePoint 2007 to 2010 Migration (2010-2011)
- Samsung Semiconductor — Contracted — countersignedCase study: Samsung Semiconductor: SharePoint Server 2019 Build (2021)
- Haskell — Contracted — countersignedCase study: Haskell: myHaskell Intranet on SharePoint Online (2019)
- PepsiCo — EPC-executed instrument + work productCase study: PepsiCo: MyPepsiCo Intranet Branding on SharePoint (2009)
- YMCA Houston — Work-product evidencedCase study: YMCA Houston: SharePoint Server 2007 Implementation (2007)
- Georgia Tech — ContractedCase study: Georgia Tech: Teams and SharePoint Advisory (2019)