# A Guide to Microsoft Teams Data Storage Location ###### 17 Apr 2025 ###### 2 min read ###### Anju George Article at a glance Microsoft Teams stores data across multiple locations within Microsoft 365, creating challenges for data retention and recovery: - Teams data, including chats, files, and meeting recordings, is distributed across Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive, complicating data management. - Native retention policies in Microsoft 365 are not designed for comprehensive backup and may leave critical data at risk of permanent loss. Teams is a collaborative workspace and messaging application developed by Microsoft in 2017, which allows users to work together and stay organized. With Teams, users can start conversation threads, reply to specific messages, tag relevant people, start meetings, keep track of individual tasks and projects, and enable app integrations, all from a single interface. Given the wide range of features, a large amount of data is created on Teams, and the below reasons highlight why it is important for an admin to know where this data gets stored: - To apply retention policies and legal holds - To conduct eDiscovery searches - To back up organizational Teams data - To manage users’ access to Teams data ## 1. Teams data architecture Teams stores data across multiple applications in Microsoft 365. Most of Microsoft Teams data is stored in Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business. It can even store data in third-party locations, like Dropbox, Google Docs, and others if you choose to enable those features. (Integration with third-party storage providers is now managed through the Teams App Store, following recent updates to the Files app and Files tab.) ## 2. Teams chat data storage ### One-to-one chats and group chats Both one-to-one chats and group chats are stored in a chat service running in Azure. Chats are also stored in Exchange Online for information protection. However, these copies are not immediately visible to users, as they are stored in a hidden folder called “SubstrateHolds” within the user mailbox in Exchange Online. This folder contains all the chat conversations, and each member of the chat retains their own copy. This folder exists for the purpose of data retention, litigation holds, and compliance. ### Files shared within a chat Files that are shared in a private or a group chat are stored in the OneDrive for Business of the user who shared the file, in a folder called “Microsoft Teams Chat Files.” Permissions are set on the folder by default to allow all the members of the chat to access the files within the folder. For the members of the chat, these files can be found in the _Shared_ folder of their OneDrive. ## 3. Teams channel data storage When you create a team in Teams, it automatically creates a Microsoft 365 group, a group mailbox, and a SharePoint site. Within the SharePoint site, a document library is created for each channel in the team. ### Channel messages Teams standard channel messages are stored in an Azure-powered chat service; the data is also copied to a hidden folder in the group mailbox, for information protection. For private channels, messages are copied to the user mailbox of the channel members, rather than to the group mailbox. ### Files shared within a channel Files shared within a standard channel are stored in the document library created for that channel, in the team’s associated SharePoint site. Each private channel has a separate SharePoint site, where the channel files will be stored. This ensures that the files shared in a private channel are available only to the members of that channel. ### Email messages sent to channels Email messages sent to channels are stored in a folder (called “Email messages”) within the team's corresponding SharePoint site. ## 4. Teams calls data storage ### Meeting recordings All meeting recordings are saved to the ‘Recordings’ folder in either OneDrive or SharePoint, depending on whether the meeting takes place within a chat or a channel. Chat meeting recordings are stored in the OneDrive for Business of the user who recorded the meeting, and are shared with all the members of the chat. Channel meeting recordings are stored in the channel’s document library in SharePoint, accessible to all the channel members. ### Voicemail, call summary, and contacts Voicemail, call summary, and contacts are stored in the user mailbox in Exchange Online. ### Meeting chats Messages shared within a Teams meeting via the meeting chat box are stored in the same way as chat and channel messages: 1) If the meeting takes place within a Teams chat, the messages shared will be stored in a hidden folder within the user mailbox. Files shared through the meeting chat box will be stored in the OneDrive for Business of the user who shared the file, and can be accessed by everyone who participated in the meeting. 2) If the meeting takes place within a Teams channel, the messages shared will be stored in a hidden folder within the group mailbox. Files shared via the meeting chat box will be stored in the channel’s document library in SharePoint. ### Teams live events In addition to regular meetings, Microsoft Teams also offers a 'Live Public Events' feature that allows users to host video conferences and webinars for up to 10,000 participants. While webinars can be made accessible to the public, private events are limited to individuals within the organization. Data associated with live events, including event recordings, transcriptions, Q&A reports, and attendee reports, are stored in Azure Media Services for 180 days. The event's producer can download this data within the specified time period. ## 5. Teams calendar data storage Teams calendar data is stored in Exchange Online. Personal calendars are stored in the user's mailbox, while group calendars are stored in the group mailbox associated with the team. Events created in Teams are synchronized with Outlook calendars. ## 6. Teams files data storage Files that are shared in a channel are stored in the SharePoint folder corresponding to the channel, and can be accessed via the ‘Files’ tab at the top of the channel. These files are available to all the channel members. Files that are shared in a chat are stored in the OneDrive for Business of the person who shared the file, and can be accessed via the ‘Files’ tab at the top of the chat. These files are available to all the chat participants. ## Conclusion While Teams makes use of several Microsoft 365 services to deliver multiple features to a central location, it is important to remember that your Teams data is not stored in a central location. Once you understand where the different types of data within Teams are stored, you can easily apply retention policies and legal holds to retain your organizational Teams data. It also helps you to narrow down [eDiscovery content searches](https://www.syscloud.com/saas-data-protection-center/microsoft-365/ediscovery/#search) to specific locations. While [retention policies](https://www.syscloud.com/saas-data-protection-center/microsoft-365/teams-data-retention/#retention-policy) and [legal holds](https://www.syscloud.com/saas-data-protection-center/microsoft-365/teams-legal-hold/) help to ensure legal compliance, it is not a data backup alternative. Using these as a Teams backup solution is risky, inefficient, and does not safeguard against data loss.