Free SharePoint Backup. Getting Started with Veeam for Microsoft 365

Introduction

A while back, one of my clients accidentally deleted a critical SharePoint site. To make things worse, they emptied the recycle bin before realizing their mistake. By the time they reached out to me, it was too late, and the site was gone.

Thankfully, they had a backup. We restored the entire site in minutes, and the crisis was averted.

That experience reminded me how critical it is to have a real backup of your SharePoint data. Not just Microsoft’s built-in retention. In this article, I’ll show you how to set up free SharePoint backups using Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 Community Edition.

If you have a small company or just want to protect your SharePoint sites without spending a dime, this guide is for you.

Why Back Up SharePoint?

Microsoft provides some native protection, but it has limitations:

• 93-day retention max. Deleted items are only kept for a limited time
• No point-in-time restore. You can’t roll back to a specific date
• Permanent deletes are unrecoverable. Once it’s gone from the recycle bin, it’s gone
• No external backups. Your data only exists in Microsoft’s cloud

Microsoft recently introduced Microsoft 365 Backup, but it’s still new and can get expensive. Veeam is a solid alternative, especially when you need granular restores, such as recovering a specific file or list item.

The Free Tier: What You Get

Veeam’s Community Edition gives you:

• 10 user licenses (for mailboxes and OneDrive)
• Unlimited SharePoint team and communication sites. Free up to 1 TB of data
• 10 Teams
• Same functionality as the paid version

Here’s the key insight: SharePoint sites (except personal sites under /personal/) don’t consume licenses. So if you’re only backing up SharePoint sites, you can protect up to 1 TB of data at no cost.

One caveat: You must renew the free license annually. It takes about two minutes, but if you forget, backups will stop.

Step 1: Download and Install Veeam

Head to the Veeam download page. Select “Community Edition” and download the ISO file (about 1.5 GB).

Mount the ISO in Windows by double-clicking it, then run Veeam.Setup.exe.

During installation:

1. Select Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365
2. On the License screen, click Next to install the Community Edition
3. Choose Install new instance for the PostgreSQL database
4. Choose Install new instance for the NATS Server and set a password

Once the installation completes, launch the application.

Step 2: Connect to Your Microsoft 365 Tenant

When you first open Veeam, you’ll see a connection prompt. Use Windows session authentication and click Connect.

Next, add your Microsoft 365 organization:

1. Click Add Org

2. Select Microsoft 365 as the deployment type

   

3. Check SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business

4. Select Modern authentication

5. Choose Register a new Microsoft Entra ID application automatically

   

6. Keep the default app name and click Next

   

Veeam will prompt you to authenticate. Copy the device code, go to microsoft.com/devicelogin, and sign in with a Global Administrator account.

Once authenticated, Veeam will verify the connection and automatically configure everything.

Step 3: Create a Backup Job

Now let’s create a backup job for your SharePoint site:

1. Click Backup in the toolbar
2. Name your job (e.g., “Backup SharePoint Site”)

   

3. Select Back up the following objects
4. Click Add, then select one or more SharePoint sites from the list

   

   

   

5. Skip the exclusions screen (or add exclusions if needed)

   

6. Select the Default Backup Repository

   

7. Configure the schedule or check Start the job to run immediately

   

8. Click Create

The backup job will start running. Notice at the bottom of the screen: Licenses used: 0. That confirms SharePoint sites are free to back up!

Step 4: Restore Deleted Content

Let’s say someone accidentally deletes a document. Here’s how to restore it:

1. Click Explore in the toolbar

   

   

2. Select SharePoint and choose your restore point
3. Browse to the site and library where the file was located
4. Right-click the item and select Restore

   

You can restore individual files, folders, list items, or even entire sites. All with granular control.

Conclusion

Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 Community Edition is a powerful, free solution for protecting your SharePoint sites. You get unlimited site backups (up to 1 TB), granular restore options, and peace of mind — without spending a cent.

Just remember to renew your free license once a year, and you’re all set.

If you found this helpful, check out my video walkthrough (to be available soon) that demonstrates the entire process step by step.