MC1489931 - Microsoft 365 Backup: Activity Logs

Message Center

Summary

Microsoft 365 Backup will introduce activity logs by mid-October 2026, enabling administrators to monitor backup and restore activities across SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Exchange Online. Logs include detailed metadata, filtering, search, export options, and role-based access within the Microsoft 365 admin center. No action required.

Published

Oct 6, 2026

Service

Microsoft 365 suite

Tag

New feature
Feature update
User impact

Platforms

Web

More information

What and why

We're introducing activity logs in Microsoft 365 Backup to help administrators monitor backup policy and restore activities directly within the product. Activity logs provide greater visibility into configuration changes, restore progress, failures, and operational status without requiring administrators to leave the Microsoft 365 Backup experience.

Rollout schedule

  • General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in mid-October 2026 and is expected to complete by mid-October 2026.

Impact on your organization

Who is affected

  • Administrators who manage Microsoft 365 Backup

Platforms and services

  • Microsoft 365 Backup
  • SharePoint Online
  • OneDrive
  • Exchange Online

What will happen

  • Activity logs will be available for Microsoft 365 Backup actions across supported workloads, including SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Exchange Online.
  • Activity log entries will include metadata such as service, activity type, status, impact, policy or restore task details, timestamps, and the administrator who performed the action.
  • Administrators will be able to:
    • Filter logs by service, activity type, activity status, impact, and date range.
    • Search activity logs using free text.
    • Export filtered or searched logs to CSV for offline review, reporting, and compliance workflows.
  • Role-based access controls will apply. Administrators will only be able to view logs for workloads they are authorized to manage.
  • To access this feature:

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center.

2. Open Microsoft 365 Backup.

3. Select Recent activities to open the Activity logs page.

4. Use the date selector, search, or filters to review activity. Select Export to download the current result.

Activity logs in the Microsoft 365 admin center

activity log dashboard

Action required and recommendations

No action is required. We recommend that you inform your backup administrators that activity monitoring for Microsoft 365 Backup will be available directly within the product.

Learn more

We will update this post with new documentation.

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.