Offboarding a Leaver Safely (Microsoft 365)

What to do when someone leaves your business

Why This Matters

When someone leaves your company, it is critical to handle their Microsoft 365 account properly. A forgotten account is a security risk and could also mean you are paying for a licence nobody is using.

This guide walks you through the key steps in the right order.

✨ Important: Do not delete the account straight away. You need to secure it and recover any important data first. Deleting too early can result in permanent loss of emails and files.

Step-by-Step Offboarding Process

Step 1: Block sign-in immediately

• Go to admin.microsoft.com, then Users > Active users.
• Find the leaver and click on their name.
• Click Block sign-in (or the block icon). This stops them from accessing their account right away.
• This is the most important first step, especially if the departure was not on good terms.

Step 2: Reset their password

• Even though sign-in is blocked, reset their password as well for an extra layer of security.
• This ensures any saved sessions or cached credentials are invalidated.

Step 3: Set up email forwarding

• If other people need to receive emails sent to the leaver, set up mail forwarding.
• In the admin centre, click on the user, then go to the Mail tab.
• Click Manage email forwarding and enter the email address of the person who should receive their mail.
• You can also choose to keep a copy in the original mailbox.

Step 4: Set an out-of-office reply

• It is good practice to set an automatic reply on the leaver’s mailbox letting people know they have moved on and who to contact instead.
• See our separate guide on setting out-of-office on behalf of someone else.

Step 5: Transfer or back up their files

• The leaver’s OneDrive files will be kept for 30 days after the account is deleted, but it is much safer to transfer them before that.
• You can grant another user access to the leaver’s OneDrive through the admin centre.
• Go to the user’s profile, click OneDrive, then click Create link to files to get access.
• Copy anything important to a shared location like a SharePoint document library.

Step 6: Remove from groups and shared resources

• Remove the leaver from any Microsoft 365 groups, Teams channels, and shared mailboxes.
• This keeps things tidy and prevents confusion.

Step 7: Remove the licence and delete the account

• Once you have secured everything, remove the licence from the user so it can be reassigned.
• After 30 days you can permanently delete the account, or delete it sooner if you are confident everything has been saved.
• Deleted accounts can be restored within 30 days if you change your mind.

👉 Tip: Create a simple checklist based on these steps and use it every time someone leaves. Consistency prevents mistakes.