Will Deletion of Inactive Microsoft Accounts Affect You? 

The Email and Storage Transformation project is currently underway in response to changes in Microsoft's pricing model. One aspect of this project is to actively delete inactive user accounts in Microsoft 365 including but not limited to services like Outlook and OneDrive. Last fall we let you know this change was coming, and we are now putting it into place. 

The deletion of the account will purge all data (email, email archive, OneDrive files, and other related storage data) held within that account. This deletion schedule will apply to all inactive accounts with the exception of any accounts on litigation hold or required to be preserved for other reasons. Once an account is no longer active the following deletion schedules will apply. 

The following account types will be deleted 5 years after separation:  

• Faculty, Staff, Retiree, Student Employee  
• Guest  
• Non-human accounts (i.e. Organizational accounts, shared mailboxes)  

These account types will be deleted 2 years after separation:  

• Graduated Students who graduated starting May 2024 (Those who graduated before May 2024 are being contacted prior to deletion with details of when their accounts will be purged.) 
• Other Students (those that do not graduate or have withdrawn)  

How You May be Affected 

While active accounts are not impacted by this change, if you are sharing content with someone who leaves the university, you could be impacted by this change. If inactive users own shared files, those may be deleted too—disrupting access for others unless proactively transferred. 

Supervisors and team leads should act proactively: 

• Transfer ownership of shared files before employees leave. 
• Audit team drives for content at risk of deletion. 

 You must plan ahead if you are leaving Ohio State: 

• Graduating students: Download and transfer any needed files before your account becomes inactive. 
• Retiring or leaving employees: Make sure important files are transferred to your unit before departure. 

Once you're no longer active (graduation, resignation, retirement, etc.), your account will be deleted on a fixed timeline. This means you will have no access to your email, archives, or OneDrive after the retention period. Anything not backed up elsewhere will be permanently lost, so consider using OneDrive alternatives if you need long-term personal access. 

More Information 

We are committed to providing ongoing support as we continue to make changes in the coming months.  Our Storage and Email Transformation website contains more comprehensive information about the project. The site will be updated on an ongoing basis as more details become available and new questions arise.