What can be restored

While Keepit supports the backup of three types of SharePoint site pages -- Modern, Web Part, and Wiki, only Modern and Wiki types can be restored.

Restore Methods

You can restore a SharePoint site using the following methods:

  • In place: This method brings the site back to its original location, overwriting the existing site.
  • As a new site: This method creates a fresh site with a new URL, running in parallel with the original site. All users and permissions will be restored as well. However, note that you can only restore a site as a new site if the original site still exists in SharePoint.
  • To a different tenant: This method allows you to create a copy of the site in a different Microsoft 365 tenant. This type of restore is available for existing and deleted SharePoint sites. This option is available only for top-level sites, but if such a site has subsites, they will also be restored. 

Version History

Keepit supports the backup and restore of versions of SharePoint list items and library documents.

Restore Behavior

For a detailed overview of that happens to SharePoint data when you restore, see: SharePoint restore behavior


Jump to

Restore a SharePoint site in place

1. Locate the site or subsite you want to restore.

Note: If you wish to restore a site from an earlier point in time, click the Snapshots Viewer icon and select the appropriate snapshot.

2. Point to the site, and on the right, select ••• > Restore.

3. Select Restore in place (overwrite existing site) and click Next. 

4. Select how to handle versions, then click Next.

  • Restore most recent file version
  • Restore all file versions

5. Review the restore summary and click Restore. The site will be returned to its original location.

Note: You cannot restore a site in place if it is currently in the SharePoint recycle bin. Please restore the site directly from SharePoint or wait until it has been removed from the recycle bin. Deleted items remain in the recycle bin for 93 days before permanent deletion.

Restore a SharePoint site as a new site

1. Locate the site or subsite you want to restore.

Note: If you wish to restore a site from an earlier point in time, click the Snapshots Viewer icon and select the appropriate snapshot.

2. Point to the site, and on the right, select ••• > Restore.

3. Select Restore site as a new site (with new URL) and click Next.

4. In the field New site, enter a new name for your site. An automatically generated new URL will be displayed.

Note: The URL must be unique and should not contain any special characters. If the URL already exists in SharePoint, you will see the error message "New SharePoint site URL is required."
Tip: You can edit the new URL ending if you want it to differ from the name of the new site. 

5. Select how to handle versions, then click Next.

  • Restore most recent file version
  • Restore all file versions

6. Review the restore summary and click Restore. The site will be restored and will appear in the same location in the hierarchy in SharePoint.

Restore a SharePoint site to a different tenant

To restore the site to another tenant, you need to authenticate the target Microsoft account. During authentication, you must accept the necessary permissions and install the Keepit app in the target tenant.

1. Locate the site you want to restore.

Note: If you wish to restore a site from an earlier point in time, click the Snapshots Viewer icon and select the appropriate snapshot.

2. Point to the site, and on the right, select ••• > Restore.

Note: To restore multiple sites at a time, select the sites, and in the toolbar, click Restore.

3. Select Restore to a different tenant and click Sign in.

4. Enter your credentials and accept the required permissions.
The service account used to sign in to the other tenant must be assigned the Global admin role.

5. Select a new tenant domain from the dropdown list.

Important: The dropdown list displays all active and inactive domains available in the target account. Make sure to select an active tenant as we cannot restore to inactive tenants. 

6. Review the admin domain prefix, site name, and URL ending, then click Next. 

Note: If restoring a deleted site to the same tenant, provide a new URL ending. The URL ending cannot already exist on the tenant.

7. Select how to handle versions, then click Next.

  • Restore most recent file version
  • Restore all file versions

 8. Review the restore summary and click Restore.

Restore Behavior and Limitations:

  • The service account from the target tenant used for the restore will be become a Site Admin and Site Owner
  • SharePoint group permissions are restored, but not the users (owners, members, and visitors) in these permission groups 
  • If the source site contains metadata that refers to users or groups not present in target tenant, the metadata of those users will not be restored. The metadata includes user permissions and the values for Person or Group column type.

Custom SharePoint admin domain names

When you modify your SharePoint domain within your Microsoft tenant, Keepit will seamlessly recognize these changes, ensuring uninterrupted backups. There's no need to reach out to our support team for manual domain updates.

Please note that the restore of a site in place or as a new site from a snapshot taken before the SharePoint domain change is not supported. Such sites can only be restored to a different tenant.

For snapshots created after the SharePoint domain change, sites can be successfully restored in place or as a new site with a new URL.

Verify your admin domain name

You can check if your admin domain is correct and active in the Microsoft 365 Admin center.

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin center (https://admin.microsoft.com/)

2. In the left menu, click Show all > All admin centers > SharePoint.

3. Check the URL that was opened and compare it with the one in the restore wizard.