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As part of the Microsoft 365 (M365) Account Lifecycle process, UDIT now removes accounts belonging to users that no longer have an association with the University. When a Microsoft account is deleted, all files located within that account’s OneDrive will be deleted.
Files located in a Microsoft SharePoint or Teams site will not be lost when old accounts are removed.
Accounts that are marked for removal are renamed to Deleting-[name]. This preface allows for people to easily identify files that are at risk for deletion. To ensure that you maintain access to any necessary files associated with an account that will be deleted, follow the steps to find and manage content at risk of deletion.
To reduce the backlog of accounts owned by individuals who had left the University, UD first announced and then completed a one-time cleanup effort in June 2024. The accounts removed include thousands of old accounts for individuals who left the University as far back as 2009.
If you have questions about whether an account has been deleted, submit this form.
UDIT strongly recommends storing important, shared data in a Microsoft Team or SharePoint site. Data stored in a Team or SharePoint site is not deleted when an individual’s account is deleted. Also, other people can be granted access to the site, which negates the need to move files.
Find and manage content at risk of deletion
Note: these steps should be done in a web browser.
Step 1: Identifying content that will be deleted
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Log into Microsoft OneDrive in your browser. Use this link and substitute your UDelNetID for yourusername:
https://udwinprod-my.sharepoint.com/personal/yourusername_udel_edu
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Click on Shared on the left hand side.
In the steps below, [name] refers to the name of the person who shared the files with you and whose account will be deleted.
- In the With you list, look for files shared with you. Files owned by Deleting-[name] will be deleted when the inactive account is deleted. If you need to keep files owned by Deleting-[name], you must copy them to a new location. The Deleting-[name] will only appear in the Name column, directly under the file name, as indicated by the highlighted text in this screenshot:
![The Deleting-[Name] appears only in the Name column.](https://services.udel.edu/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=b75db747-7a95-4da6-93f1-96da81989e6b.png&beidInt=2)
Step 2: Manage content that will be deleted
There are a few options available to manage this data, including moving files to a shared location or downloading the files to save locally.
Option 1: Move files to a shared location
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Right-click the file you want to move.
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Select Open Location.
*If you do not see Open Location, proceed to Option 2
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A new windows opens. You can select multiple files from this new window if you would like to move multiple files.
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Ensure that the files you want to move are selected, and click Copy to.
Note: If you do not see the "Copy to" option, try Option 2 (Download files). If Option 2 is not feasible, contact askit@udel.edu.
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Select the shared location where you would like to move the file. Do not move files to “My files.” Instead, choose a Team or SharePoint as demonstrated in this screenshot:
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Click Copy here.
Option 2: Download files
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Right-click the file or folder you want to download.
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Select Open Location.
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A new window opens. You can select multiple files from this new window if you would like to download multiple files.
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Ensure that the files are selected, and click Download.
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Select the destination where you would like to download the file. If you are not prompted to select a location, check your downloads folder for the downloaded data.
Option 3: Request supervisor access to the account
There are cases when it may be necessary for someone to be granted full access to an account that is pending deletion. Typically, only a direct supervisor of an account holder who is no longer at UD can be granted access to an account that is now listed as Deleting-[name].
Examples of when full access may be necessary:
- An owner of an account that will be deleted had shared files with “can view but cannot download”.
- There is reason to believe that a OneDrive account has needed files that are currently not shared.
If you are not able to copy needed shared files to a new location, contact askit@udel.edu. UDIT will seek the necessary permissions to assign access to the account. Granting this access will require a review from central HR Employee & Labor Relations.
Once you have been granted access to the account, move the files to a shared location prior to the account's deletion.
You can access a OneDrive account that you have been granted access to by substituting the specific UDelNetID for the account you have been granted access to in place of username in this web address: https://udwinprod-my.sharepoint.com/personal/username_udel_edu