📄 Article

Can You Change Ownership of a User’s OneDrive After the 93-Day Retention Period?

✍️ Author: Techcareers
📂 Category: OneDrive for Business
👥 Audience: Microsoft 365 Administrators
📅 Last Reviewed: 10 August 2026

When a user leaves the organisation, administrators may need to recover or transfer files from the user’s OneDrive for Business. A common question is whether ownership of the user’s personal OneDrive can be changed from the SharePoint admin center or by using PowerShell after the OneDrive has passed the default deleted site retention window.

🎯 Short Answer

No — you cannot change ownership or assign a new owner after the user’s OneDrive has passed the 93-day SharePoint deleted site retention period and is no longer recoverable. You can only grant access, restore, or assign a site collection administrator while the OneDrive site still exists or is still available in deleted sites.

🔍 The Symptoms

⚠️ What Administrators Encounter

Administrators may see one or more of the following:

The user’s OneDrive URL is no longer available in the SharePoint admin center
Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite does not return the deleted user’s OneDrive site
The personal OneDrive site cannot be accessed, restored, or assigned after the retention period has expired

⚠️ Error Messages

Restore-SPODeletedSite : Cannot find the site collection

Set-SPOUser : Cannot get site https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>

🧠 Root Cause

A user’s OneDrive for Business is a personal SharePoint Online site collection hosted under the tenant’s -my.sharepoint.com namespace. When a Microsoft 365 user is deleted, their OneDrive goes through a retention and deletion lifecycle.

✅ During the Recoverable Period — Admins Can

Access the OneDrive files
Restore the deleted personal site
Assign another user as a site collection administrator
Copy or migrate the files to SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, or another user’s OneDrive

❌ After Permanent Deletion — These All Fail

The SharePoint admin center cannot assign an owner
PowerShell cannot restore the site
Set-SPOUser cannot add a site collection administrator
Standard SharePoint Online recovery is no longer available

💡 Important Clarification on Ownership

OneDrive ownership is not normally “transferred” in the same way as a SharePoint team site owner. The supported administrative approach is to grant another user site collection administrator access or use the Microsoft 365 admin center to access the files while the OneDrive is still available.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Resolution

📁 Scenario 1: User Is Active and OneDrive Still Exists

If the user account is still active and the OneDrive site exists, grant another administrator or manager access.

Option A — Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center
Select Users → Active users
Select the affected user
Open the OneDrive tab
Select Get access to files
Use the generated link to access the user’s OneDrive files
Copy business-critical data to the appropriate SharePoint site, Teams-connected document library, or approved storage location

💡 Note

This does not change the OneDrive owner. It grants administrative access to the files.

Option B — SharePoint Online PowerShell

Use this method if you know the user’s OneDrive URL and want to assign another user as a site collection administrator.

PowerShell — Assign Site Collection Admin

Install-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -Force

Connect-SPOService -Url "https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com"

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"
$NewAdmin    = "admin@yourdomain.com"

Set-SPOUser `
    -Site                  $OneDriveUrl `
    -LoginName             $NewAdmin `
    -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $true

PowerShell — Validate Admin Was Added

Get-SPOUser `
    -Site  $OneDriveUrl `
    -Limit All | Where-Object {
    $_.IsSiteAdmin -eq $true
} | Select-Object LoginName, IsSiteAdmin

🗑️ Scenario 2: User Is Deleted but OneDrive Is Still Recoverable

If the user has been deleted but the OneDrive site is still within the recoverable period, restore it first and then assign a new site collection administrator.

Connect to SharePoint Online

Install the module and connect to your SharePoint Online admin center.

PowerShell

Install-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -Force

Connect-SPOService -Url "https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com"

Search for the Deleted OneDrive Site

List all deleted personal sites to find the user’s OneDrive and confirm how many days remain before permanent deletion.

PowerShell — List All Deleted Personal Sites

Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite | Where-Object {
    $_.Url -like "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/*"
} | Select-Object Url, DeletionTime, DaysRemaining

PowerShell — Search for a Specific OneDrive

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"

Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite | Where-Object {
    $_.Url -eq $OneDriveUrl
} | Select-Object Url, DeletionTime, DaysRemaining

Restore the Deleted OneDrive Site

Once you have confirmed the site is in the deleted sites list, restore it.

PowerShell — Restore Deleted OneDrive

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"

Restore-SPODeletedSite -Identity $OneDriveUrl

Assign a New Site Collection Administrator

After restoring the site, assign the required admin or manager as a site collection administrator.

PowerShell — Assign Site Collection Admin

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"
$NewAdmin    = "admin@yourdomain.com"

Set-SPOUser `
    -Site                  $OneDriveUrl `
    -LoginName             $NewAdmin `
    -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $true

Confirm Access

Validate that the new administrator has been granted site collection admin rights.

PowerShell — Confirm Site Collection Admins

Get-SPOUser `
    -Site  $OneDriveUrl `
    -Limit All | Where-Object {
    $_.IsSiteAdmin -eq $true
} | Select-Object LoginName, IsSiteAdmin

⌛ Scenario 3: OneDrive Has Passed the 93-Day Retention Period

If the deleted OneDrive site no longer appears in Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite, it cannot be restored or reassigned using the SharePoint admin center or PowerShell.

Confirm the OneDrive Is No Longer Recoverable

Run this command to check whether the site still exists in the SharePoint Online deleted site collection recycle bin.

PowerShell — Check Deleted Sites

Install-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -Force

Connect-SPOService -Url "https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com"

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"

Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite | Where-Object {
    $_.Url -eq $OneDriveUrl
}

💡 Expected Result

If the command returns no output, the OneDrive site is not available in the SharePoint Online deleted site collection recycle bin. The following commands will fail at this stage.

Commands That Will No Longer Work

These commands fail because the OneDrive site no longer exists in a recoverable state.

❌ These Commands Will Fail

Restore-SPODeletedSite -Identity “https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>”

Set-SPOUser -Site “https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>” -LoginName “admin@yourdomain.com” -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $true

🔄 What Are the Remaining Options After 93 Days?

Option 1 — Check Microsoft Purview Retention or eDiscovery

If your organisation had Microsoft Purview retention policies, retention labels, legal hold, or eDiscovery cases in place before deletion, the content may still be discoverable through compliance tools. Use this route when the data is required for legal, compliance, audit, or business continuity purposes.

Option 2 — Check Microsoft 365 Backup or Third-Party Backup

If your tenant uses Microsoft 365 Backup or a third-party backup solution, restore the user’s OneDrive content from the backup platform. This is often the only practical recovery path after the SharePoint deleted site retention period has expired.

Option 3 — Check Shared or Synced Copies

Before concluding that the data is completely unavailable, check whether files exist in:

SharePoint Online document libraries
Microsoft Teams files
Files previously shared with other users
Locally synced OneDrive folders on managed devices
Email attachments or copied files in another user’s OneDrive

Option 4 — Open a Microsoft Support Case

You can open a Microsoft support request to confirm whether any backend recovery option is available for your tenant. However, after permanent deletion, recovery is generally not guaranteed.

📜 Recommended PowerShell Script

Use the following script to check whether the deleted OneDrive is still recoverable. If found, the script restores it and assigns a new site collection administrator automatically.

PowerShell — Full Recovery Script

Install-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -Scope CurrentUser -Force

Connect-SPOService -Url "https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com"

$OneDriveUrl = "https://<tenant>-my.sharepoint.com/personal/<user_domain_com>"
$NewAdmin    = "admin@yourdomain.com"

$DeletedOneDrive = Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite | Where-Object {
    $_.Url -eq $OneDriveUrl
}

if ($DeletedOneDrive) {
    Write-Host "Deleted OneDrive found:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $DeletedOneDrive | Select-Object Url, DeletionTime, DaysRemaining

    Write-Host "Restoring deleted OneDrive site..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Restore-SPODeletedSite -Identity $OneDriveUrl

    Write-Host "Assigning site collection administrator..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Set-SPOUser `
        -Site                  $OneDriveUrl `
        -LoginName             $NewAdmin `
        -IsSiteCollectionAdmin $true

    Write-Host "Validation result:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
    Get-SPOUser `
        -Site  $OneDriveUrl `
        -Limit All | Where-Object {
        $_.IsSiteAdmin -eq $true
    } | Select-Object LoginName, IsSiteAdmin

    Write-Host "OneDrive restored and administrator access assigned successfully." -ForegroundColor Green
}
else {
    Write-Host "The OneDrive site was not found in deleted sites." -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host "It may have passed the recoverable retention period." -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host "Check Microsoft Purview, Microsoft 365 Backup, third-party backup, or open a Microsoft support case." -ForegroundColor Yellow
}

📊 Access and Recovery Comparison

OneDrive State	Can It Be Restored?	Can Ownership Be Changed?	Recommended Action
User is active	Not required	No true ownership transfer	Add another user as site collection administrator
User is deleted, OneDrive is retained	✅ Yes	Access can be assigned	Restore or access the OneDrive, then assign admin
OneDrive appears in deleted sites	✅ Yes	Access can be assigned after restore	Use `Restore-SPODeletedSite`, then `Set-SPOUser`
OneDrive passed 93-day deleted site retention	❌ No (not by standard admin tools)	❌ No	Check Purview, backup, synced copies, or Microsoft support
Retention policy or legal hold existed	Possibly discoverable	Not ownership transfer	Use Microsoft Purview eDiscovery

💡 Best Practices & Recommendations

Do not wait until the retention period expires. Add the user’s manager or a designated admin as a site collection administrator before deleting the account, then move business-critical content to SharePoint Online or Teams
Use a formal leaver process. Include OneDrive review, mailbox handling, licence removal, device wipe, and retention checks as part of user offboarding
Store business-owned files in SharePoint, not personal OneDrive. OneDrive is best for individual work files, while department and project data should live in SharePoint Online or Teams-connected sites
Configure retention policies for critical users or departments. Use Microsoft Purview retention policies where business or regulatory requirements require longer preservation
Use least privilege. Assign the SharePoint Administrator role only to admins who need SharePoint and OneDrive recovery permissions — avoid using Global Administrator for routine recovery tasks

✅ Final Answer

🎯 Summary

After the user’s OneDrive has passed the 93-day SharePoint deleted site retention period and no longer appears in Get-SPODeletedSite -IncludePersonalSite, you cannot change ownership, restore it, or assign a new site collection administrator from the SharePoint admin center or PowerShell.

You can only assign access or restore the OneDrive while the personal site still exists, is retained, or is visible in deleted sites. After permanent deletion, the practical recovery options are Microsoft Purview retention/eDiscovery, Microsoft 365 Backup, third-party backup, synced/shared copies, or a Microsoft support case.

📚 References & Further Reading

🔗 Restore a deleted OneDrive — Microsoft Learn
🔗 Restore a deleted site collection — Microsoft Learn
🔗 Get-SPODeletedSite cmdlet reference — Microsoft Learn
🔗 Restore-SPODeletedSite cmdlet reference — Microsoft Learn
🔗 Set-SPOUser cmdlet reference — Microsoft Learn
🔗 OneDrive retention and deletion — Microsoft Learn
🔗 Microsoft Purview eDiscovery solutions — Microsoft Learn

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