Overview

When a Microsoft Team is no longer actively being used, it can be archived instead of deleted.

Archiving a Team preserves its conversations, files, channels, and membership while preventing further changes. This allows the Team to be retained for future reference without allowing ongoing collaboration.

If the Team needs to be used again, it can be restored at any time by a Team owner.

Note: You must be a Team owner to archive or restore a Team.

What Happens When a Team Is Archived?

When a Team is archived:

• All conversations remain available for viewing.
• Files remain accessible.
• Team members cannot create new posts or reply to conversations.
• Channels cannot be modified.
• Apps and settings cannot be changed by members.
• Team owners can still manage membership and restore or delete the Team.

Optionally, the associated SharePoint site can be set to read-only for team members to prevent document changes while the Team is archived.

Archive a Team

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Teams from the navigation menu.
3. Locate the Team you wish to archive.
4. Select the More options (...) menu beside the Team name.
5. Select Archive team.
6. If desired, select Make the SharePoint site read-only for team members.
7. Select Archive to confirm.

The Team will move to the Archived Teams list.

Restore an Archived Team

If you need to resume work in an archived Team:

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Select Teams.
3. Choose Manage your teams (or Your teams and channels, depending on your Teams version).
4. Open the Archived section.
5. Locate the Team you want to restore.
6. Select the More options (...) menu.
7. Select Restore team.

The Team will become active again, allowing members to collaborate as before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does archiving delete the Team?

No.

Archiving preserves the Team, including its conversations, files, channels, and membership. It simply prevents further activity until the Team is restored.

Can members still view files and conversations?

Yes.

Archived Teams remain available for viewing unless additional permissions have been changed.

Can I continue editing files?

If the Team owner chose to make the SharePoint site read-only, team members cannot edit documents while the Team is archived.

If read-only was not selected, document editing may still be possible depending on SharePoint permissions.

Can an archived Team be restored?

Yes.

A Team owner can restore an archived Team at any time.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the Archive option.

Only Team owners can archive or restore Teams.

If you are a member rather than an owner, contact the Team owner for assistance.

I can't find my archived Team.

Open Manage your teams (or Your teams and channels) and check the Archived section.

If the Team does not appear, verify that it has not been deleted.

I can see the Team but can't post messages.

This is expected behaviour for an archived Team.

The Team must be restored before members can post new messages or make changes.

Best Practices

• Archive Teams that are no longer actively used instead of deleting them.
• Consider making the associated SharePoint site read-only to protect completed documents.
• Restore a Team only when active collaboration is required.
• Delete Teams only when they are no longer needed and retention requirements have been considered.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/archive-or-restore-a-team-dc161cfd-b328-440f-974b-5da5bd98b5a7