How to Restore a Deleted User Account in Microsoft 365 Admin

When a user account is deleted in Microsoft 365, it is not permanently removed immediately. Instead, the account is moved to a "soft deleted" state for 30 days, during which time it can be restored by an administrator. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to restore a deleted user account in Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Prerequisites

• You must have global administrator or user administrator permissions to restore a deleted user account.
• The deleted account must be within the 30-day recovery window.
• The user account can be restored only within the grace period before it is permanently deleted.

Steps to Restore a Deleted User Account:

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

   • Open your browser and go to admin.microsoft.com.
   • Sign in with your global administrator or user administrator credentials.

2. Navigate to the Active Users Page:

   • In the left-hand menu, select Users, then Active users.

3. View Deleted Users:

   • At the top of the Active Users page, click on the Deleted users tab.
   • This will show a list of all deleted user accounts within the past 30 days.

4. Select the User to Restore:

   • From the list of deleted users, locate the user account you want to restore.
   • Click on the Display name or Username of the user.

5. Restore the User Account:

   • On the user’s details page, click the Restore button.
   • A confirmation message will appear asking if you are sure you want to restore the deleted user. Click Restore again to confirm.
   • The user account will be restored, and it will return to the Active Users list.

6. Verify the User Account:

   • Once restored, the user’s information, including email, OneDrive data, and other Microsoft 365 services, should be fully restored.
   • If necessary, reset the user’s password by clicking on the Reset password button to provide them with new login credentials.

What Happens When You Restore a User Account:

• User Data: All user data, including emails, OneDrive files, and Teams data, will be restored as it was at the time of deletion.
• Licenses and Assignments: The licenses and service assignments that were assigned to the user before deletion will be restored automatically.
• Group Memberships: The user will be re-added to any groups they were previously a member of.

Important Notes:

• If the user account was deleted more than 30 days ago, it cannot be restored.
• Restoring a deleted user account will reinstate access to all services and data tied to that account.
• If you need to recover a user account that has been permanently deleted (after 30 days), you may need to contact Microsoft support for assistance.