{"id":15825,"date":"2026-04-09T02:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/m365jp.net\/?p=15825"},"modified":"2026-04-09T02:03:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:03:50","slug":"mc1134737-updated-microsoft-teams-private-channels-increased-limits-and-transition-to-group-compliance-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/m365jp.net\/index.php\/2026-04-09-mc1134737-updated-microsoft-teams-private-channels-increased-limits-and-transition-to-group-compliance-6","title":{"rendered":"MC1134737 | (Updated) Microsoft Teams: Private channels increased limits and transition to group compliance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MC1134737 | (Updated) Microsoft Teams: Private channels increased limits and transition to group compliance<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Classification<\/th>\nplanForChange<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last Updated<\/th>\n04\/08\/2026 16:22:05<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Start Time<\/th>\n08\/13\/2025 23:09:57<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
End Time<\/th>\n06\/01\/2026 08:00:00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Message Content<\/th>\n\n

Updated April 8, 2026: The migration of private channels continues with most migration now complete (95%). Organizations can check status including % complete in their tenants with the PowerShell cmdlet listed below. <\/p>\n

Migration is scheduled to complete by late April 2026, with some special cases that will require additional time: private channels with an empty membership list or guest-only membership are rare cases and will require additional steps, and this post will be updated with more details on those special cases. <\/p>\n

New limits for private channels will rollout starting late April 2026. Private channels not yet migrated would not receive new limits until their migration is complete.<\/p>\n

In response to customer feedback, we are introducing enhanced flexibility, greater scalability, and streamlined compliance management for private channels in Microsoft Teams. <\/p>\n

Note: It is important for compliance managers to review and take appropriate action before migration starts for these changes to private channels. <\/p>\n

[What’s changing?]<\/p>\n

Private channels will transition use a channel mailbox instead of individual user mailboxes. <\/p>\n

Organizations with compliance policies (retention, legal hold, data loss prevention, or eDiscovery) for private channels must review these policies and must apply policies to the Microsoft 365 group for the channel\u2019s team before migration begins to ensure continuity of the policy for a private channel. Existing policies will continue to apply to user mailboxes; post-migration, new data will be governed by policies on the group. Note that policies applied to the team\u2019s group can apply to all channels in the team. <\/p>\n

After the transition to updated private channels in your organization, private channels will be updated as follows. <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Private channels are no longer limited to 30 per team. Instead, private channels can be added up to the limit of 1000 total channels per team. <\/li>\n
  2. Private channels can now have up to 5000 members, instead of 250. <\/li>\n
  3. Meetings can now be scheduled in private channels. <\/li>\n
  4. Compliance policies for private channels are part of the team\u2019s group policies instead of the individual user level. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The migration of private channels will begin in early October 2025 and continue through late April 2026 (previously March). During this period, private channels will continue to operate normally. Admins and compliance managers should complete any required policy changes by October 2025, before the migration begins. Changes to private channel limits and meeting scheduling will follow in late April through early May 2026 (previously early April).<\/p>\n

    As part of this change, newly created private channels will not be created with a document library by default; the root folder is used as a default location for any new files.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    [When this will happen:] <\/p>\n

    General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out private channel migration early October 2025 (previously late September) and expect to complete by late April 2026 (previously March). Updated channel limits and meeting scheduling will complete in early May 2026 (previously April). Restricted clouds rollout will begin in April 2026 (previously March).<\/p>\n

    [Action required by compliance managers and admins]<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Purview eDiscovery and Legal Hold<\/li>\n

      <\/p>\n

      With this change, private channel data will move from user mailboxes to the group mailbox, aligning with how shared channels data is stored. Previously, legal holds were applied to user mailboxes since private channel data resided in each member\u2019s mailbox. Post-migration, the latest version of private channel message data from each user\u2019s mailbox is moved to the private channel\u2019s group mailbox. Message edits and deleted messages will not be copied into the group mailbox. <\/p>\n

      Note: For users on hold, copies of message edits and deleted messages will remain in the user\u2019s preserved library folder until the hold expires, while the latest version of private channel message data from each user\u2019s mailbox is copied to the private channel\u2019s group mailbox. <\/p>\n

      Before migration <\/p>\n

      If a legal hold exists for a private channel, admins must also apply the policy to the team\u2019s group, in addition to the policy already applied to users\u2019 mailboxes, in order for a hold to apply to new data generated and stored in the private channel\u2019s mailbox. Note that policies applied to the team\u2019s group can apply to all channels in the team. <\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Screenshot 1: Setting up a new hold in Microsoft Purview compliance portal. <\/p>\n

      After migration <\/p>\n

      For existing holds admins will need to ensure that the hold is applied to the user mailbox as well as the new group mailbox, in order for a hold to apply to existing and new message data. Any new legal holds will need to be applied to the group. <\/p>\n

      For complete eDiscovery, include both the private channel\u2019s users\u2019 mailboxes and the team\u2019s group mailbox to retrieve pre-migration messages, message history, and post-migration new content. <\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Screenshot 2: Configuring an eDiscovery search in Microsoft Purview compliance portal. <\/p>\n

    2. Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP)<\/li>\n

      <\/p>\n

      With this change, private channel messages will be included as a part of the DLP policy scoped to the private channel\u2019s team\u2019s group, as opposed to the user mailbox. <\/p>\n

      Before migration <\/p>\n

      Admins must modify the \u201cTeams chat and channel messages\u201d policy for private channels to add the team\u2019s group containing the private channel, in addition to the user mailbox, in order to include new private channel messages in a policy. Note that policies applied to the team\u2019s group can apply to all channels in the team. <\/p>\n

      After migration <\/p>\n

      Ensure that \u201cTeams chat and channel messages\u201d policy for private channels is scoped to the team\u2019s group containing the private channel. <\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Screenshot 3: Configuring a data loss prevention policy in Microsoft Purview compliance portal. <\/p>\n

    3. Purview Retention Policy<\/li>\n

      <\/p>\n

      After this change, creation of new private channel-specific policies will not be possible in the Purview portal. Instead, \u201cTeams channel messages\u201d policies applied to the team\u2019s group will now include private channels. Existing private channel policies will remain in effect and preserve all held message data in user mailboxes. Editing of existing policies will not be supported but policies can be removed. <\/p>\n

      Before migration <\/p>\n

      Apply current private channel retention policies (previously on user mailboxes) to Teams channel messages to include the team\u2019s group, in order to include new private channel messages in a policy. In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, go to solutions > Data Lifecycle Management > Retention policies. Note that policies applied to the team\u2019s group can apply to all channels in the team. <\/p>\n

      After migration <\/p>\n

      If the parent team\u2019s group retention policy differs from the private channel\u2019s policy, create a new or equivalent policy to ensure consistent retention.<\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Screenshot 4: Configuring \u201cTeams channel messages\u201d for a retention policy in Microsoft Purview compliance portal. <\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      4. Microsoft policies for Optical Character Recognition
      <\/b> <\/p>\n

      Before Migration: <\/p>\n