check before: 2026-04-24
Product:
Copilot, Microsoft 365 admin center, Power Platform, Teams
Platform:
Developer, Online, World tenant
Status:
Change type:
Admin impact, Updated message
Links:
Details:
Update: After reviewing admin feedback, we will not be introducing this feature at this time. An updated message with an alternative solution for managing inactive sandbox environments will be published at a later date.
Original message:
We are introducing an automated process to delete inactive sandbox environments, starting April 24, 2026.
Sandbox environments in your tenant inactive for 60 days or more will be automatically disabled, then soft deleted and permanently deleted if not reactivated. Environment owners and admins will receive emails before any disablement occurs. This aligns sandbox environments with the inactivity-based lifecycle policy already applied to Default, Developer, and Dataverse for Teams environments, helping optimize storage and reduce unused capacity.
Activity includes any user, maker, or admin action in the environment such as creating, editing, or launching an app; creating, editing, or running a flow; or creating, editing, or chatting with a Microsoft Copilot Studio agent; or copy, restore or reset environment. Any activity resets the 60-day inactivity period.
This is applicable to both managed and non-managed sandbox environments.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
Created:
2026-04-24
updated:
2026-04-25
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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summary for non-techies**
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Direct effects for Operations**
Loss of Data in Inactive Environments
If sandbox environments are not actively managed, users may lose important data and configurations due to automatic deletion after 60 days of inactivity.
- roles: Environment Owners, Admins
- references: https://aka.ms/15017/automatic-environment-cleanup, https://aka.ms/15017/recover-environment
User Experience Disruption
Users may experience disruptions in their workflow if their sandbox environments are deleted unexpectedly, leading to potential delays in project development.
- roles: Developers, Project Managers
- references: https://aka.ms/15017/sandbox-environments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://aka.ms/15017/sandbox-environments, https://aka.ms/15017/automatic-environment-cleanup
" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://aka.ms/15017/automatic-environment-cleanup
Increased Governance Overhead
Admins may face increased governance overhead if they need to manage user notifications and reactivation processes for multiple environments, leading to inefficiencies.
- roles: Admins, IT Operations
- references: https://aka.ms/15017/automatic-environment-cleanup, https://aka.ms/15017/sandbox-environments" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://aka.ms/15017/sandbox-environments
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
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Potentional Risks**
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IT Security**
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explanation for non-techies**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2026-04-25 | MC Messages | We are introducing an automated process to delete inactive sandbox environments, starting April 24, 2026.
Sandbox environments in your tenant inactive for 60 days or more will be automatically disabled, then soft deleted and permanently deleted if not reactivated. Environment owners and admins will receive emails before any disablement occurs. This aligns sandbox environments with the inactivity-based lifecycle policy already applied to Default, Developer, and Dataverse for Teams environments, helping optimize storage and reduce unused capacity. Activity includes any user, maker, or admin action in the environment such as creating, editing, or launching an app; creating, editing, or running a flow; or creating, editing, or chatting with a Microsoft Copilot Studio agent; or copy, restore or reset environment. Any activity resets the 60-day inactivity period. This is applicable to both managed and non-managed sandbox environments. | Update: After reviewing admin feedback, we will not be introducing this feature at this time. An updated message with an alternative solution for managing inactive sandbox environments will be published at a later date.
Original message: We are introducing an automated process to delete inactive sandbox environments, starting April 24, 2026. Sandbox environments in your tenant inactive for 60 days or more will be automatically disabled, then soft deleted and permanently deleted if not reactivated. Environment owners and admins will receive emails before any disablement occurs. This aligns sandbox environments with the inactivity-based lifecycle policy already applied to Default, Developer, and Dataverse for Teams environments, helping optimize storage and reduce unused capacity. Activity includes any user, maker, or admin action in the environment such as creating, editing, or launching an app; creating, editing, or running a flow; or creating, editing, or chatting with a Microsoft Copilot Studio agent; or copy, restore or reset environment. Any activity resets the 60-day inactivity period. This is applicable to both managed and non-managed sandbox environments. |
| 2026-04-25 | MC Title | Power Platform - Sandbox environments are now included in inactivity-based cleanup | Power Platform - Updated Message: Inactive sandbox environments cleanup |
| 2026-04-25 | MC Last Updated | 04/24/2026 02:35:06 | 2026-04-25T01:36:51Z |
| 2026-04-25 | MC MessageTagNames | Admin impact | Updated message, Admin impact |
Last updated 2 weeks ago ago
