How to backup Microsoft Teams chat?

Have you ever been in a panic situation, frantically searching for an important message or file shared in a Microsoft Teams chat? The feeling of fear that sets in when you realize it is gone can be a productivity killer. But there is a simple solution: Backing up your Teams data.

We will compile all the relevant information in our guide and help users with insights into different Microsoft Teams data types, native, and professional third-party backup solutions. We will also check out a few limitations and give users an alternative with the Kernel Microsoft Teams Backup tool. Let us begin now.

About the Microsoft Teams data types

Before moving onto the available options of backup for Microsoft teams, you must understand what type of data can be backed up except the chat and its history. Here are the different Microsoft Teams data types:

1. Messages: These can include 1:1 chat, group chats, & channel messages. Such chat and group chat are stored only within the Teams app, and it cannot be found in SharePoint and Exchange natively.
2. Wiki pages: Teams comes with a default Wiki for documentation. It is stored in the “Teams Wiki Data” library under the SharePoint site linked to the team.
3. OneNote notebooks: OneNote notebooks can be connected to each Team channel, present in a “Site Assets” library of the Team’s SharePoint site.
4. Shared files: The files that are shared across Microsoft Teams are present in different locations as per the context. For ex., the files within private chats are in the sender’s OneDrive and the files shared in public channels are in the associated SharePoint site.
5. Group mailbox messages and calendars: Each group is given an Office 365 Group, which has the associated group mailbox as well as calendar. Those can be accessed through the Outlook app, but technically, they are stored in Exchange Online.

Available backup solutions

We will put our expert views on the two general options available for Microsoft Teams backup: Native method and third-party backup solution.

1. Native Microsoft backup solutions: Microsoft offers different retention and recovery options for Microsoft Teams chat backup, but all such solutions are only short-term data retention mechanisms. Such options are quite limited in terms of full backup capabilities. For ex., you can put a retention policy for some time only, but it becomes hard to recover deleted data beyond that point of time.Now, we will take a look at the manual approach on how to backup Microsoft Teams chat.

   Backup Microsoft Teams data

   Microsoft Teams data is mainly present within OneDrive, Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. Here, we will assist you to back up all the Teams data and even look at litigation hold. Let us get into the basics for Microsoft Teams chat backup.

   Backup chats to text files

   You can export Teams chat data very easily just by saving them as text files. Just select the ones you want to take, copy them out using Ctrl + C, then paste them into a text editor like Microsoft Word or WordPad. Then save the file as per your convenience.

   This is an easy approach but rather time-consuming and error-prone when the volume of chats is very large. Moreover, manually selecting and then copying each chat is tiresome and can lead to possible data loss.

   Protecting personal and channel chats

   The channel and personal chats within Microsoft Teams are under the Exchange Online mailboxes. But these chats cannot be accessed directly as they are present in a hidden folder.

   To prevent accidental deletions of chats, it is also advisable to place litigation hold on the relevant mailboxes. The feature deletes all the data but will retain them in the ‘Deleted Items‘ folder for some stipulated period and allows recovery without much hassle. Moreover, you can also consider using third-party apps to migrate chats in Microsoft Teams.

   Steps to enable litigation hold:

   1. Open Office 365 Admin Center.
   2. Go to the list of mailboxes.
   3. Choose the mailbox with your desired Teams chats.
   4. From the ‘Others‘ tab, tap on ‘Manage litigation hold.’
   5. Turn on the litigation hold option & you need to set up the desired retention period.
   6. Save all the settings.

   For recovering deleted data:

   1. Navigate to the eDiscovery center from the Office 365 Admin Center.
   2. You now need to create a search case for your Teams data. After creating an eDiscovery case and choosing who has access to it, use the case to search for email, documents, Skype for Business conversations, Teams data, and other content in your organization. You can then preserve the content and export the search results for further analysis.

   As you enable the litigation hold and use eDiscovery, you can efficiently protect and recover all your Teams data including chats.

2. Third-party backup solutions: Most third-party Microsoft Teams backup solutions come with a lot of advanced features, such as scheduled backups or the ability to restore data to a particular point in time based on the retention policy. In addition, they can also protect different types of data within Microsoft Teams, which may include chats, conversations happening in channels, and files shared throughout the platform.

Limitations with current backup solutions

Despite the presence of all the mentioned backup possibilities, several limitations exist:

• Data coverage: Not all third-party solutions will back up the entire set of data to Microsoft Teams. Some will only back up chats and documents, and some can only recover changes to Teams configurations or channel settings.
• Complexity in restoration: Data restoration is very complex in the case of manual approach, so when looking for selective restoration, it needs a lot of effort and even time-consuming [comes with selection of chats and data one by one].
• Infrastructure dependency: Third-party backups are often dependent on the infrastructure layer. A change in the infrastructure may cause the backup and recovery to fail.

Kernel Microsoft Teams Backup| A top solution

To get away from the limitations of the manual and unreliable third-party backup solutions, we introduce an ideal utility for you, Kernel Microsoft Teams Backup. For more insights into the tool, we will check out the top features below in detail.

• Full data coverage: With this software, users can carry out backups of all components of Teams [apar from chats and their history], from public and private channels, files, 1:1 chat, notes, group conversations, etc.
• Data integrity: The tool is well-known for maintaining the original data hierarchy and structure.
• Simple interface: Comes with an easy-to-use interface, this tool is ideal for technical and non-technical users alike.
• Wide range of compatibility: The tool has full compatibility for all versions of Windows OS.
• Modern authentication: Supporting secure backup with modern authentication protocols, it assures your data remains protected against unauthorized access during the backup process.
• Ideal for big organizations: This software is perfect when it comes to large-scale data backup needs, and thus, perfect for organizations of any size [from SMEs to large firms]. It is also equipped with automation features that ease the backup process.
• Date filters: Use date filters and exclude left chats for selective backup of data as per your needs and requirements.
• Incremental backups: The tool also supports incremental backup features that helps to reduce redundancy.

Final thoughts

So, how to backup Microsoft Teams chat history or any other Teams data? We hope our guide helped you out with all the answers to this question. Put litigation hold or put your policies in place but as per our recommendation, use the Kernel Microsoft Teams Backup tool. With high-end features, advanced filters and full compatibility with Windows OS, this tool must be the go-to software for you. Get your hands on the free trial today.

FAQs

Q1. Is it possible to save Teams chat history?

Files uploaded in one-on-one, or group chats are stored in the Microsoft Teams Chat Files folder within your OneDrive for Business. These files are shared exclusively with the participants of that specific conversation. Conversely, files uploaded to channels are stored in your team’s SharePoint folder, making them accessible to all members of that team.

Q2. Are Teams chats saved forever?

No, Teams chats are not saved indefinitely. After a retention period of 30 days from the initial message, they are typically deleted within 1 to 7 days. Once deleted, these chats cannot be recovered through eDiscovery searches.

Q3. What happens to old chats in Teams?

Old chats should remain accessible by scrolling up within the chat or using the search bar to find specific terms. If you are unable to view older messages, it might be due to settings or policies set by your organization.