A Microsoft 365 subscription that expires goes through three stages: Expired (for most offers, 30 days; users still have access), Disabled (90 days; admins only) and Deleted (the data is gone and the subscription can’t be reactivated). If you cancel instead, the subscription goes straight to Disabled, and Microsoft says data left behind might be deleted after 90 days and will be deleted no later than 180 days after cancellation.

The stages

Stage How long (most offers) Who can reach the data Can you reactivate?
Expired 30 days Everyone, as normal Yes
Disabled 90 days Admins only Yes
Deleted Nobody No

Multi-year enterprise terms run 90 days expired and 90 days disabled. Cancelled subscriptions skip Expired.

The data retention clock dates each stage from your end date.

Keeping mailboxes without paying for every license

  • Shared mailbox: assign a license, convert the mailbox, then remove the license if it is under 50 GB. An Exchange Online Plan 2 license raises the limit to 100 GB.
  • Inactive mailbox: apply a hold or retention policy before deleting the user account. The mailbox is kept for as long as the hold lasts, and the license is freed.
  • Export: for a full exit, export mailboxes and SharePoint and OneDrive content before the Disabled stage ends.

Moving to Google or closing

Whatever the reason the subscription ends, the deadline that matters is the end of the Disabled stage, or 90 days after cancellation, whichever comes first for you. Plan the export before you change billing. If you are moving to Google, see old email archives when moving to Microsoft 365 or Google.

Questions people ask

If we buy a new subscription later, do we get the data back?

Not after the deleted stage. Microsoft says adding a new subscription of the same type doesn't restore the data associated with the deleted subscription.

Is deleting the subscription the same as letting it expire?

No. Microsoft says explicitly deleting a subscription deletes SharePoint and OneDrive data at once. Letting it expire, or cancelling, gives you the stages in the table.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Learn: What if my subscription expires?
  2. Microsoft Learn: Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox
  3. Microsoft Learn: Create and manage inactive mailboxes

What to do with old email archives when you move to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace

Migrate, archive or let go: how to handle years of old email when switching between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, and when the old vendor deletes it.

Offboarding employee accounts after a layoff without losing data

Suspend, archive, transfer or delete: what happens to a departing employee's Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account, and the restore windows to know.

How to export Google Workspace data before you cancel

Google's Data Export tool requirements and timing, what happens to data after cancelling Workspace, and the resubscribe windows Google publishes.

Part of Migrating systems.