Restoring and Recovering Teams Meetings from a Deleted or Restored Account in Microsoft 365: Step-by-Step Guide

Restoring and Recovering Teams Meetings from a Deleted or Restored Account in Microsoft 365: Step-by-Step Guide

When an Office 365 (now Microsoft 365) user account is deleted or restored, meeting data associated with Microsoft Teams may also be impacted. This can include meetings scheduled by the user, calendar events, and meeting details that were stored in Outlook or Teams. In this guide, we will explain how to restore a deleted or recovered account and ensure that the data related to Teams meetings is also restored or recovered, as well as how to manage meeting deletions or cancellations.

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1. Verify the Account Status

Before performing any recovery steps, it's crucial to first confirm the status of the account.

• Deleted Account: If the user’s account was deleted, Microsoft 365 keeps it in a deleted state for up to 30 days. During this time, the account can be restored along with its data.
• Restored Account: If the account was restored, all email, calendar, and Teams data should be re-associated with the user’s profile after the restoration.

2. Restoring a Deleted User Account in Microsoft 365

If the user account was deleted and you need to restore it, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in to Microsoft 365 Admin Center

1. Open the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and sign in with your admin credentials.
2. In the Admin Center, navigate to Users > Deleted Users.

Step 2: Restore the User Account

1. In the Deleted Users list, locate the user account that needs to be restored.
2. Select the user and click Restore.
   • This will restore the user account along with their associated data, including OneDrive, Exchange (email), and Teams data.
3. You may be prompted to reset the user’s password. Choose an option for resetting or leaving the password unchanged.

Step 3: Verify Account Restoration

1. Once the account is restored, navigate to Active Users to confirm that the account is listed as active.
2. Ensure that the Exchange Online mailbox, OneDrive, and Teams are restored.

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3. Restoring Teams Data After Account Restoration

After restoring the user’s account, you need to verify and restore the Teams-related data:

Step 1: Check Teams Meetings in Outlook

Teams meetings are stored in the user’s Outlook Calendar, so if the account has been restored, check the user’s calendar for meeting events.

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook web app or desktop client.

2. Navigate to the Calendar section.

3. Search for the deleted or canceled meetings in the user’s calendar. Restoring the account should restore their Outlook calendar, including Teams meetings.

   • If meetings are missing, you can use eDiscovery (explained below) to search and recover deleted calendar events related to Teams.

Step 2: Check Teams Meetings in Teams App

Teams also stores meeting data in the Teams app:

1. Open Microsoft Teams and sign in with the restored account.
2. Navigate to the Calendar section in Teams to see the meetings scheduled by the user.
3. If the meetings are missing, proceed to recover them using eDiscovery or PowerShell methods.

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4. Recovering Deleted Teams Meetings

If a meeting was deleted or canceled from the restored account, there are a few recovery methods depending on the context:

Method 1: Recover via Outlook Calendar (If the meeting was scheduled through Outlook)

1. Log into the Restored User's Outlook Calendar:

   • Open Outlook (either web or desktop version).
   • Go to Calendar.

2. Check Deleted Items Folder:

   • In Outlook, deleted meetings may appear in the Deleted Items folder of the user's calendar.
   • Right-click on the deleted meeting and select Restore or drag it back to the calendar.

3. Resend the Meeting Invitations:

   • If the meeting is found in the Deleted Items folder, you can recover it, and then choose to resend the meeting invitations to all participants.

Method 2: Use eDiscovery to Recover Meetings in Teams and Outlook

If meetings are not found in the calendar or the deleted items folder, you can use eDiscovery to search and recover deleted Teams meetings, calendar events, and associated data.

1. Log into the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center:

   • Go to Microsoft 365 Compliance Center and sign in with your admin credentials.
   • Navigate to eDiscovery > Core.

2. Create a New eDiscovery Case:

   • Click on + Create a Case to start a new eDiscovery case.
   • Name the case and provide a description.
   • Click Create.

3. Create a New Search Query:

   • Inside the case, go to the Searches tab and click on + New search.
   • Set search parameters, such as:
     • Content: Specify whether to search for Teams meeting data, email data, or both.
     • Date Range: Narrow down the search to the period when the meetings occurred.
     • Keywords: If you know specific keywords related to the meeting, such as the meeting organizer or title, enter them.

4. Review the Results:

   • After the search is completed, review the results. If the meeting data is found, you can export it or restore it.
   • Use the Export option to download the meeting details or recover the related items to the user’s mailbox or Teams.

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5. Cancelling or Deleting Teams Meetings After Restoration

If the goal is to delete or cancel meetings from a restored account, you can do this through the Outlook calendar or Teams.

Canceling Teams Meetings from Outlook Calendar

1. Log into Outlook:

   • Go to Outlook (web or desktop) and access the Calendar.

2. Locate the Teams Meeting:

   • Find the meeting you want to cancel in the calendar.

3. Cancel the Meeting:

   • Open the meeting invite.
   • Click on Cancel Meeting and send the cancellation to all participants.

Canceling Teams Meetings from Microsoft Teams

1. Open Microsoft Teams:

   • Go to the Calendar section in Teams.

2. Find the Meeting:

   • Locate the meeting you want to cancel.

3. Cancel the Meeting:

   • Click on the meeting, then select Cancel.
   • Choose to send the cancellation notice to all invited participants.

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6. Ensuring All Data is Properly Restored

After the account and meeting recovery is complete, verify that all meeting data is properly restored:

1. Check Teams Calendar:

   • Ensure that all meetings scheduled by the user are visible in Teams Calendar.

2. Check Outlook Calendar:

   • Ensure that the deleted or restored meetings appear in the Outlook calendar.

3. Verify Meeting Data via eDiscovery:

   • Use the eDiscovery search method to ensure that any lost meeting data (such as meeting notes, recordings, or chat history) is restored.

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7. Final Review and Backup Recommendations

• Backup Regularly: It's recommended to back up important data, including meeting records, to avoid accidental deletions.
• Training: Educate end users about how to back up their meetings, cancel unwanted meetings, or how to recover deleted items from their calendars in Outlook and Teams.
• Retention Policies: Implement Retention Policies to ensure that important Teams data is not lost after account deletion, which can prevent accidental loss of critical meeting data in the future.

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Conclusion

In Microsoft 365, recovering and managing Teams meetings after an account is deleted or restored is a straightforward process if you follow the correct steps. Restoring the user account ensures that most data is restored automatically, but if meetings or calendar events are missing, you can use eDiscovery or Outlook's Deleted Items folder to recover them. Regular monitoring, training users, and configuring retention policies will help minimize the risk of losing important data in the future.