Microsoft 365 Backup gets activity logs

Microsoft 365 Backup now includes activity logs directly within the product. This allows you to monitor backup and restore operations for SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Exchange Online without leaving the backup interface. The global rollout is underway and scheduled for completion by mid-October 2026.

Until now, there has been no central view of what backup and restore actually do. That’s exactly what the logs provide. Each entry includes metadata such as service, activity type, status, impact, the policy or restore task, timestamp, and the administrator who triggered the action. For operations and compliance, this is a tangible benefit, as it allows tracking configuration changes, restore progress, and errors.

You filter the logs by service, activity type, status, impact, and time period, and search them using free text. For reporting and compliance processes, you export the filtered results as CSV. Role-based access controls apply, so you only see the logs of the workloads you are authorized to manage.

You can find the access ... In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, open Microsoft 365 Backup and select 'Recent activities' to open the activity logs page. Use the date picker, search, and filters to narrow down the results, and export the current view with the Export option.

In environments subject to ISO 27001 or NIS2, the CSV export is the real game-changer. A traceable log of backups and restores is exactly the kind of evidence an audit looks for. The tenant-wide logging via the Unified Audit Log remains unaffected; the new activity logs provide the focused view for the backup team.

There is no configuration effort, but it's worth notifying the backup administrators so that the new view is actually used.