Running Backups

M365Suite stores backup history per site. Selecting several sites creates separate backup records and version histories for those sites.

Start a manual backup

1. Open Estate Explorer.
2. Use search and available filters to narrow the site list.
3. Select one or more sites.
4. Use the backup action in Estate Explorer.
5. Watch the progress banner for status.

The backup work runs on the server. The portal can be refreshed or closed while the job is running. Return to the portal to review the final site histories.

What a backup records

A backup records the navigation data M365Suite can read for the selected site. This includes structural top navigation and quick launch data. It can also include hub-related navigation data, audience targeting references, menu-state fallback data, site classification, and web details when SharePoint returns them.

The exact data varies by site and navigation mode. Managed or inherited navigation can be represented as captured state for review but may not be eligible for structural restore.

View history

Open Recovery Center and select a protected site to open its version history. From history, authorized users can:

• Review version metadata and available navigation details
• Compare versions when comparison data is available
• Download JSON or Excel exports
• Restore an eligible version when they have restore permission
• Delete a version when they have delete permission
• Approve a version as the known-good Change Watch baseline when they are an admin

Deleting a version removes only that version for that site. It does not change backups for other sites.

Permissions

• Admins can back up any tenant site.
• Hub, Site, and Type Managers can back up only sites in their assigned scope.
• Viewers can inspect history but cannot start backups.
• Guests cannot access backup data.

The server checks the role and scope for each request.

Use a version as a Change Watch baseline

An admin can select a successful version and choose Approve baseline in version history. The approved version becomes the known-good comparison point for that site. A later Change Watch scan reads the site's current navigation and stores a comparison result without adding a new backup version.

See Change Watch for review, severity, and acknowledgement behavior.