Deleting data from shared locations: Microsoft 365

All UD Microsoft shared storage locations are subject to UD Microsoft storage limits. If a shared storage location exceeds its limit, you must either:

• delete data,

• request additional free storage (max 500GB, see UD Microsoft Storage limits for qualifications),

• pay for additional storage (data exceeding 500GB), or

• use Azure Archives to archive your data (requires payment and administration).

This article explains how to delete data from shared Microsoft storage locations. 

Contents

Delete data from a shared mailbox or resource mailbox on Exchange
Delete data from Microsoft Teams or private/shared Team channels
Deleting a Microsoft Team or Team Channel
Delete data from a SharePoint site
Deleting a SharePoint site
Delete shared data from Teams or SharePoint using the OneDrive Desktop client

Before deleting shared data, remember to coordinate with others who have access to the shared resource. If you delete data from a shared location, you delete it for everyone. 

• Delete data from an Exchange shared or resource mailbox
• Delete data from a Microsoft Team or private/shared Team channels
• Delete a Microsoft Team
• Delete data from a Microsoft SharePoint site
• Delete a Microsoft SharePoint site
• Delete shared data from Teams or SharePoint using the OneDrive Desktop client

Delete data from a shared mailbox or resource mailbox on Exchange

Deleting messages from an Exchange shared or resource mailbox is the same as deleting from an individual mailbox. 

If you use the Outlook desktop client to access a shared or resource mailbox, then messages you delete from the shared mailbox may (depending on how the mailbox is configured in Outlook) go to your own trash folder. To avoid confusion, UDIT recommends deleting messages from the web-based version of the shared or resource mailbox (https://outlook.office.com/owa/MAILBOX-NAME@udel.edu).

Delete data from Microsoft Teams or private/shared Team channels

1. Navigate to the Team or Channel that you want to delete from.

2. Click Files, click the three dots icon on the toolbar, and click Open in SharePoint.
   

3. Click to the left of each item that you want to delete so that each item is marked with a checkmark. 

4. Click Delete from the toolbar.
   

5. Data that you delete will be moved to the Recycle bin. Items that have been in the Recycle bin for more than 90 days will be automatically removed, and at that time, space on your Team site is reclaimed. If you need reclaim space immediately, click Recycle bin. Then either delete individual files from the Recycle bin or click Empty recycle bin to remove everything from it. 

Deleting a Microsoft Team or Team Channel

To delete a Microsoft Team or Team channel, you must own the Team or channel that you are trying to delete.

To delete a Team, click the three dots that display when you hover over the Team. Then, select Delete team.

To delete a Team channel, click the three dots that display when you hover over the channel. Then, select Delete channel.

Delete data from a SharePoint site

1. Log in to Microsoft 365. From the waffle menu (the 9 dots icon), choose SharePoint.

2. Open your SharePoint site and navigate to the data you want to delete. For the most part, items stored in the Documents library are what takes up significant storage space.

3. Click next to the items you want to delete so that a check mark displays beside the file or folder.

4. Click Delete from the toolbar. 

If you're not sure what's taking up space in your account, you can use Storage Metrics to get an overview of how space is being used.

1. Click Settings (the wheel icon), and select Site contents.
   

2. Click Site settings.
   

3. Click Storage Metrics.

4. A progress bar indicates your current storage usage. You can click items listed under Storage Metrics and drill down to see the percentage of space that each item (such as a folder or file) is using.

Deleting a SharePoint site

To delete a SharePoint site, you must be a site collections owner.

1. In Microsoft 365, from the waffle menu (the 9 dots icon), choose SharePoint. 

2. Open the SharePoint site that you want to delete.

3. Open Settings (the wheel icon, towards the top-right of the window), and then choose Site Settings. If you don't see Site Settings, choose Site Contents, and then click Site Settings. 

4. Under Site Actions, click Delete this site.

5. Review the warning, and, if you agree, click Delete.

Delete shared data from Teams or SharePoint using the OneDrive Desktop client

Many people synchronize their Team site or channel with the OneDrive desktop client, allowing the files on the site to be viewed as a folder in Windows File Explorer. Any Team or SharePoint folder or file that is synchronized with OneDrive will display with a link or a shortcut icon in OneDrive.

In this screenshot, a private channel named "anotherTest" and the files in that channel have been opened. The "Add shortcut to OneDrive" link allows these files to be linked to OneDrive. 

The screenshot below shows the linked Teams channel, "anotherTest" as it shows in Windows File Explorer (under OneDrive - University of Delaware - 0365).

The screenshot below shows the linked Teams channel—"anotherTest"—in web-based OneDrive in the My files section. The folder displays with a shortcut icon. 

Team and Team channel files and folders that have been linked to OneDrive can be deleted directly from the OneDrive desktop or web-based client.

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