Is Your Office 365 Data Secure? Here's Where Microsoft Stores It

When you entrust your organisation's data to Microsoft 365, one of the most common questions we hear is "where exactly is our data stored?". It's a fair question, and an important one, especially for organisations with strict compliance, security or data residency requirements.

Your data's geolocation

Your Microsoft 365 data lives in a geolocation based on your usage address. When you first sign up for Microsoft 365, your tenant is assigned a geolocation based on the usage location you provide upon setup. This determines the primary region where your data will be stored.

For example, if your organisation is based in the UK, your Microsoft 365 tenant will be hosted in Microsoft's UK data centres (specifically located in London, Durham and Cardiff). These data centres are designed with redundancy in mind, meaning your data is stored across at least two locations to ensure high availability and resilience.

Where do individual Microsoft 365 services store your data?

Different Microsoft 365 services store data in slightly different ways, but they all follow the same geolocation principle. Here's a quick overview of where your data typically resides:

Service	Data residency
Exchange Online	UK
SharePoint Online	UK
OneDrive for Business	UK
Microsoft Teams	UK (files in SharePoint, chat in Exchange)
Azure Active Directory	UK
Microsoft Forms, Planner & Whiteboard	UK
Viva Engage (previously Yammer)	Now hosted in EU data centres

How can I check where my data is stored?

You can check your data's current location in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

Go to the Admin Center
Go to Settings > Org Settings > Organisation Profile
Scroll down to the 'data location' section

This will show you where each service's data is currently located.

Can I move my Microsoft 365 tenant to another region?

This is a common request - especially for organisations that have undergone mergers, acquisitions or internal expansion. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not currently offer a built-in service to move tenants between geographies.

If you need to relocate your tenant, it requires a manual migration which can be complex and time-consuming. We recommend speaking to a Microsoft partner (like us!) to explore your options and plan a smooth transition.

What if my organisation is global or has offices outside of the UK?

Multi-geo is a feature in Microsoft 365 that allows organisations to extend their tenant across multiple geographic regions. Instead of having all your data stored in a single country (based on your tenants primary location), multi-geo lets you assign specific users or workloads to different Microsoft data centre regions.

For example. a UK-headquartered company with offices in Germany, the UK and Australia can store each region's data locally, ensuring compliance with local regulations and improving user experience.

Why does data residency matter?

Data residency isn't just about knowing where your files are, it's about:

Compliance with local data protection laws (like GDPR)
Performance, by keeping your data closer to your users
Trust, by ensuring transparency in how and where your data is handled

Microsoft's global network of data centres is built with security, compliance and reliability at its core; but knowing the specifics of your own tenant's setup helps you to stay in control.

Final thoughts

Understanding where your Microsoft 365 data is stored is a key part of managing your digital workspace. Whether you're navigating compliance requirements or just want peace of mind, it's worth taking a few minutes to check your data location and make sure it aligns with your organisation's needs.

Need help reviewing your Microsoft 365 setup or planning a migration? We're here to help.

Ryan Adams | Senior Technical Specialist

Originally posted 8th August 2025

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