Deleted File Recovery

Do Microsoft Sways Persist After a User Account Is Deleted?

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to know if Microsoft Sway presentations and their shared edit links remain accessible after the creator's Microsoft 365 user account is archived or permanently deleted.

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A Microsoft 365 user account is being archived or deleted, and there is a need to understand the retention policy for their Sway data and shared edit links.
Observed behavior: Upon account deletion, the Sways enter a 30-day grace period where they can be restored by an admin. However, shared edit links immediately stop working.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft 365 global or user administrator privileges before proceeding to recover or reassign Sways from a deleted account.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore and Reassign Sways Within the 30-Day Grace Period

Administrators must act within 30 days of account deletion to restore the user and transfer their Sways to an active account.

When a user account is deleted in Microsoft 365, their associated Sways are not immediately destroyed. They enter a 30-day grace period where an administrator can intervene. It is important to note that any shared edit links created by the deleted user will immediately stop working once the account is removed.

Log in as Administrator

Restore the Deleted User

Navigate to 'Users' > 'Deleted users', select the deleted account, and choose the option to restore the user. This must be done within 30 days of the original deletion.

Transfer Sway Ownership

Once the account is temporarily active, access the user's Sway dashboard and manually reassign or transfer the ownership of the necessary Sways to a permanent, active user account.

Regenerate Sharing Links

Since the original edit links were invalidated during deletion, generate new view or edit links from the newly assigned account and distribute them to your collaborators.

Edit Links Behavior: Shared edit links generated by the deleted user are permanently broken upon account removal. You must create new sharing links after transferring the Sways.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do shared edit links for Sway still work after the creator's account is deleted?

No. Once the user account is removed, all edit links associated with their Sways are immediately invalidated and will no longer work for collaborators.

How long do I have to recover a Sway from a deleted Microsoft 365 account?

You have exactly 30 days from the time the user account is deleted to restore the account and recover its data. After this grace period, the Sways are permanently removed.

Can a standard user recover Sways from a deleted account?

No, standard users do not have the permissions required to recover accounts. Only a Microsoft 365 administrator can restore the deleted user account and transfer the associated Sways.

Migration & Recovery