Action: SharePoint Online Compliance Features Retiring Jan. and Apr. 2026

Customers using SharePoint Online legacy information management and records management features may be exposing themselves to compliance risks if they don’t act quickly. Using these retiring features can lead to audit gaps, incomplete preservation for legal holds and e-discovery, and questionable deletion and disposition reviews.

First announced Nov. 2023, the retiring compliance features affect commercial and government customers. Microsoft recommends transitioning to Purview’s Data Lifecycle Management and Records Management features for continued support; however, Purview requires additional licensing and costs.

The legacy features are being retired in two phases:

Jan. 2026

• Records Center Site Template
• Configure “Send To” Location for Records Center
• Content Organizer

Apr. 2026

• Information Management Policies
• In-Place Records Management
• Document Deletion Policies
• Site Closure and Deletion Policies

For details, see “Use Microsoft Purview risk and compliance solutions instead of the older information management and records management features in SharePoint for Microsoft 365” (Microsoft) and “Migration strategies for moving to Microsoft Purview risk and compliance solutions from older information management and records management for SharePoint for Microsoft 365” (Microsoft).