Inactive SharePoint sites

To support good site governance and ensure SharePoint remains an effective collaboration platform, inactive sites are periodically reviewed. The University of Waterloo uses Microsoft’s Site Lifecycle Management features to notify site owners when a site has not been used for an extended period. This process is informational only. No automated deletions or restrictions occur. 

How inactivity is determined 

A SharePoint site is considered inactive after six months with no meaningful activity, such as file access or content updates. Microsoft’s lifecycle management capabilities detect inactivity using signals across SharePoint and related services including Teams, Viva Engage, and Exchange.  

What happens when a site becomes inactive 

After every six-month period of inactivity: 

• Email notification to site owners 

  • Site owners receive an email asking them to confirm whether the site is still needed. Actions they can then take are below.

  • At the University of Waterloo, this email is sent from noreplySharePoint@uwaterloo.ca. 

• Monthly reminder emails 

  • If no action is taken after the first notification, Microsoft continues to send monthly reminder emails prompting owners to confirm the sites status. 

Open

Action site owners can take 

When notified, owners may choose to: 

• Review content for relevance

• Confirm that the site is still active by clicking the Certify site button

• Manually archive or delete the site if appropriate (optional). Alternatively, site owners can contact their IST Account Rep for assistance or submit a ticket via the IST Help Portal. 

If no action is taken 

If site owners do not respond: 

• No changes are made to the site. 

• The site is not deleted, not archived, and not set to read‑only automatically. 

• The site simply continues to be flagged as inactive, and reminder emails continue.