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Microsoft’s announced SharePoint and OneDrive change removes the Preservation Hold Library (PHL) from Site Contents and site navigation; it does not announce that the library or retained files are being deleted. In specific scenarios, site collection administrators can still navigate directly to the PHL by URL. The library is a hidden compliance location, not a place for routine file management.
What changed in SharePoint and OneDrive?
Microsoft 365 Message Center notice MC504322, associated with Roadmap ID 103613, announced that users would no longer find the PHL through Site Contents or site navigation in SharePoint and OneDrive. The notice was originally posted January 27, 2023. Its rollout forecast was to begin in late January 2023 and finish by the end of February 2023; those are historical planned dates, not a report of the current status in any particular tenant. The announcement is reproduced by M365 Admin.
| Access route | What the notice said |
|---|---|
| Site Contents and site navigation | PHL access through these surfaces would be removed. |
| Direct URL | Site collection administrators could continue to navigate directly to the PHL in specific scenarios where access was required; this is not a promise of access for every administrator or every site. |
Does hiding the PHL delete retained files?
No. The change described is about discoverability and navigation, not deletion of the PHL, removal of a retention policy, release of an eDiscovery hold, or purging retained content. Retention policies and holds separately determine whether content must remain preserved. Microsoft’s Preservation Hold Library guidance explains how retention can keep content there.
What the Preservation Hold Library is for
The PHL is a hidden system location used when SharePoint or OneDrive must preserve content under applicable retention requirements. If a user changes or deletes covered content, the service may preserve a copy in the library. Microsoft says the PHL was not designed for users to browse or manage files; automatically retained files should not be manually edited, deleted, or moved. See Microsoft’s documentation on retention and the PHL and eDiscovery in-place holds.
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For supported compliance access to retained material, use compliance tools such as eDiscovery rather than treating the PHL as a working folder. A navigation change does not itself change the underlying retention or hold that may preserve content.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What administrators needed to do
Microsoft said no action was required to enable the change. Administrators could inform Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management or Records Management administrators and update relevant training or documentation so that users would not rely on Site Contents or navigation to locate the PHL. The notice does not provide a tenant-by-tenant completion status.
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