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Microsoft Entra data retention

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In this article, you learn about the data retention policies for the different activity reports in Microsoft Entra ID.

When does Microsoft Entra ID start collecting data?

Microsoft Entra Edition Collection Start
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Microsoft Entra ID P2
Microsoft Entra Workload ID Premium		 When you sign up for a subscription
Microsoft Entra ID Free The first time you open Microsoft Entra ID or use the reporting APIs

If you already have activities data with your free license, then you can see it immediately on upgrade. If you don’t have any data, then it will take up to three days for the data to show up in the reports after you upgrade to a premium license. For security signals, the collection process starts when you opt-in to use the Identity Protection Center.

How long does Microsoft Entra ID store the data?

Activity reports

Report Microsoft Entra ID Free Microsoft Entra ID P1 Microsoft Entra ID P2
Audit logs Seven days 30 days 30 days
Sign-ins Seven days 30 days 30 days
Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication usage 30 days 30 days 30 days

You can retain the audit and sign-in activity data for longer than the default retention period outlined in the previous table by routing it to an Azure storage account using Azure Monitor. For more information, see Archive Microsoft Entra logs to an Azure storage account.

Security signals

Report Microsoft Entra ID Free Microsoft Entra ID P1 Microsoft Entra ID P2
Risky users No limit No limit No limit
Risky sign-ins 7 days 30 days 90 days

Note

Risky users and workload identities are not deleted until the risk has been remediated.

Can I see last month's data after getting a premium license?

No, you can't. Azure stores up to seven days of activity data for a free version. When you switch from a free to a premium version, you can only see up to 7 days of data.

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