SharePoint Online Site Deletion blocked by Retention Policy although no content is retained
Hi everyone, I'm trying to understand whether this behavior is expected or if other organizations are experiencing the same issue. Environment SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365) Microsoft Purview Retention Policy Retention duration: 180 days Trigger: based on last modified date After retention period: Do nothing The intention of the policy is not to automatically delete content. We only want to prevent deletion for 180 days and allow deletion afterwards. Microsoft previously explained to us that retention applies to the content/items, not to the container (the SharePoint site itself). Problem We are currently unable to delete SharePoint sites. When attempting to delete a site from the SharePoint Admin Center we receive the following message: This site can't be deleted at this time because it is blocked by a compliance policy. What we already checked For the affected site: CompliancePolicyIds = empty ArchiveStatus = NotArchived SensitivityLabel = empty The Preservation Hold Library is empty: Preservation Hold Library => Items = 0 We also inspected the internal DLC properties of the site and found entries such as: dlc_sitehaspolicy dlc_sitehasexpirationpolicy dlc_webhasexpirationpolicy Even after clearing these values for testing purposes, the site still could not be deleted. Important Observation If we explicitly exclude the site from the retention policy, deletion becomes possible. This makes it appear that the retention policy is blocking deletion of the site container itself, even though our understanding was that retention should only protect retained content and not permanently prevent deletion of the entire SharePoint site. Has anyone else observed this behavior? Additional OneDrive Issue We are seeing a similar problem with unlicensed OneDrive accounts. Many of these OneDrive sites: are already archived are shown as blocked by retention/compliance cannot be deleted remain present for years For example: ArchiveStatus = FullyArchived CompliancePolicyIds = empty The accounts appear in the list of unlicensed OneDrive accounts, but we are unable to permanently remove them while the retention policy is in effect. Has anyone found a practical way to clean up or remove these orphaned/unlicensed OneDrive sites when a tenant-wide retention policy is configured? Questions Has anyone seen a situation where: CompliancePolicyIds is empty the Preservation Hold Library is empty but site deletion is still blocked by a compliance policy? Does a retention policy configured as: Retain for 180 days Then Do nothing intentionally block deletion of the entire SharePoint site container? Is it expected that excluding a site from the retention policy immediately makes deletion possible? How are other organizations handling site lifecycle management when tenant-wide retention policies are enabled? Has anyone experienced similar issues with unlicensed OneDrive accounts that cannot be deleted because of retention/compliance requirements? Any experiences, recommendations, or explanations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!External Users Unable to Access Microsoft List Form
We have created a Microsoft List and are using the default Microsoft Lists Form for data entry / intake form. Internal users can access the form URL and submit items successfully. However, external users are unable to access the form link, even though they have been granted Contribute permissions to the SharePoint list. External users can: Access the list Create new items using the + New button Edit items based on their permissions However, they cannot access the dedicated Microsoft Lists Form URL and getting following error. This link is only available to internal users. This link is not available to you. Our requirement is to allow external users to: Open the Microsoft Lists Form URL View the form Submit new items without providing additional access beyond what is required for form submission, and without using Microsoft Forms. Is guest/external user access to the Microsoft Lists Form experience supported? If so, what configuration or permissions are required to enable external users to access and submit items through the form URL?
Storing and organizing performance review data - SharePoint lists or something else?
My team has been asked to move our performance review records from a legacy HR system into something within M365. Someone suggested SharePoint lists but I'm worried about permissions (employees shouldnt see each others reviews), workflow complexity, and whether it'll scale. We have about 400 employees. Is SharePoint the right tool for this or should I be looking at something purpose-built that integrates with our M365 environment?
Recycle Bin and Site Content Hidden for Site Members and Site Visitors
I posted this before but made a mistake with my write up, so I am reposting. I have a requirement that the Recycle bin and Site Contents should be be hidden from the Site Members and Site Visitors. Please how can I achieve this because the Server Infrastructure activation is not working for me. Any workarounds? Please helpDynamic Mandatory Fields
In a SharePoint library, I have folders which are = a. Admin b. Events c. Furniture and Moves d. Janitorial and Maintenance e. Parking and Transportation f. Shipping and Receiving g. Supplies and Equipment h. Waste and Recycling I have Meta data across the library whose data type are all choices and are: a. Document Type = Contract, Financial, planning b. Building = Gym, Garage, Heating c. Asset Category = Office, Playground d. Fiscal Year = FY23, FY24, FY25, FY26, FY27 e. Vendor = Maple Leaf, Canadian Tire, Home Depot f. Status = Active, Pending, Not Active g. Retention Label = 3 years, 5 years h. Service Type = Admin, Events, Furniture and Moves, Janitorial and Maintenance, Parking and Transportation, Shipping and Receiving, Supplies and Equipment, Waste and Recycling Service Type and Retention Label are mandatory fields, with the Rule below for all the files in the various folders: IF Folder Name = Admin, then Service Type = Admin and Retention Label = 5 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Fiscal Year IF Folder Name = Events, then Service Type = Events and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Fiscal Year, Building and Vendor IF Folder Name = Furniture and Moves, then Service Type = Furniture and Moves and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Building IF Folder Name = Janitorial and Maintenance, then Service Type = Janitorial and Maintenance and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Fiscal Year IF Folder Name = Parking and Transportation, then Service Type = Parking and Transportation and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Fiscal Year IF Folder Name = Shipping and Receiving, then Service Type = Shipping and Receiving and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status IF Folder Name = Supplies and Equipment, then Service Type = Supplies and Equipment and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Fiscal Year IF Folder Name = Waste and Recycling, then Service Type = Waste and Recycling and Retention Label = 3 years; the mandatory fields should be Document Type, Status and Vendor I have used Column Default Value Settings for SharePoint to display Auto-Display the Service Type and Retention Label, but I cannot seem to perform the conditional mandatory fields using Validations setting for the other requirements. Please help
Upcoming change: Retirement of noise suppression capability for ODSP video
We're writing to inform you of an upcoming change to video playback features in OneDrive and SharePoint. What's changing: Starting July 1, 2026, the noise suppression feature for video playback on OneDrive and SharePoint will be retired. This feature, which reduces background noise during video playback, will no longer be available in the web playback experience. Based on usage data and our ongoing effort to streamline the video experience on OneDrive and SharePoint, we've made the decision to deprecate this capability. Please share your feedback through Noise Suppression Feature Survey so we can continue to improve the video experience on OneDrive and SharePoint. What this means for your content: Your video content is not affected. No original files will be modified or re-encoded – this change only impacts the playback experience. Noise suppression will no longer be available as a playback toggle option when viewing videos stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. No changes to other video and audio playback features – including playback speed controls, captions, and transcripts – remain available and are unaffected by this change. What administrators need to know: No admin action is required. The noise suppression option will be removed automatically after the retirement date. There are no tenant-level settings to manage for this change. Alternative options: If noise suppression is important to your workflow, please consider these alternatives: Pre-process your audio using a dedicated noise removal tool before uploading to OneDrive or SharePoint. Record in a quieter environment or use a directional microphone to minimize background noise at the source. We value your feedback: We understand this change may affect some of your workflows, and we want to hear from you. Please share your feedback through Noise Suppression Feature Survey so we can continue to improve the video experience on OneDrive and SharePoint. All other video playback capabilities on OneDrive and SharePoint remain fully available. We're committed to continuing to invest in features that help you get the most out of your video content.
