Overview
The OneDrive Archiving feature (also called Capacity Savings) allows administrators to optimize their Microsoft 365 storage by automatically archiving low-activity ("cold") files.
Instead of permanently deleting old data, this feature converts eligible files into lightweight web links (URL stubs). This reclaims primary storage space while ensuring the files remain fully visible, searchable, and recoverable for the end user.
Prerequisites
To utilize OneDrive Archiving in your CrashPlan for Microsoft 365 environment, the following requirements must be met:
- Licensing: This is a premium add-on feature. It must be explicitly enabled on your tenant's product license.
- Authentication: A Microsoft 365 Administrator must grant explicit Consent for Capacity Savings within the CrashPlan console to authorize the storage optimization.
Policy-driven archival
Administrators do not need to manually select files for archiving. Instead, you define eligibility rules within your OneDrive Policy Configuration.
A file is only archived if it meets all of the enabled conditions:
- Storage Consumption Threshold: OneDrive storage exceeds a specific percentage (e.g., >80% full).
- Inactivity Duration: The file has not been modified for a set number of days (e.g., >365 days).
- File Size: The file exceeds a minimum size limit (e.g., >5 MB).
Execution modes
To ensure complete control over your organization's data, the archiving job operates in two distinct modes:
- Dry Run: A simulation mode. It evaluates your active policy against your current OneDrive data and generates a report estimating the number of eligible files and potential storage savings. No actual data is changed or stubbed during a Dry Run.
- Live Run: The active execution mode. It processes the eligible files, removes the data objects from primary storage, and replaces them with URL stubs, actively reclaiming storage space.
End user experience
Accessing archived files
After a Live Run, archived files remain visible in the user's OneDrive in their original folder structure. However, the files are converted into URL shortcuts. For example, a file previously named report.pdf will appear as report.pdf.url, and its size will be reduced to a few bytes.
When a user clicks the stubbed file, they are redirected to the CrashPlan console via Microsoft Single Sign-On (SSO). From there, they can view, download, or restore the file.
Restoring files
Users can restore files directly from the CrashPlan console or via their My Backup Vault. Restoring an item converts the URL stub back into the original file format at its original size.
Shared files
If an archived file was previously shared with other internal users, those sharing permissions are strictly preserved. The recipients will also see the URL stub and can view or download the file via the CrashPlan console. Once the original owner restores the file, all shared recipients immediately regain normal access to the original file.
Externally-shared files
Files shared via external links will not be accessible to external users
until the original owner restores the file.