In this guide, you will find instructions on what to do if the SharePoint or Teams group owner is missing.

Eesti keeles

As part of Digital Cleaning Month, UT will send automatic notifications to members of SharePoint and Teams groups that do not have an owner. The purpose of the notification is to inform that the group currently has no owner and to ask if any of the group members would like to become the owner of the group

SharePoint and Microsoft Teams groups must always have at least one owner. The group owner is responsible for:

• up-to-date group members and access;
• up-to-date content;
• a group is really necessary.

It is not allowed to keep groups without an owner, because then there is no responsibility and the group may remain unused or contain outdated information. A group can become ownerless, for example, if the current owner leaves UT and his user account is closed.

What should you do if you receive such an email?

If you receive a notification about an unowned group, you have several options.

1. You want to become the owner of the group
   

   If the group is still needed and in use, you can agree to become the owner of the group by pressing the Yes button in the email.
   This means that:

   • you are the contact person of the group;
   • you can manage members and rights if necessary;
   • you are responsible for ensuring that the group reasonably exists.
2. The group is no longer necessary
   

   If the group is no longer in use or needed, press the No button in the email or ignore the message.
   In this case:

   • the group remains without an owner;
   • the group will be deleted.
3. You are not sure
   

   If you are not sure whether a group is necessary or who might be a suitable owner:

   • discuss the topic with other group members;
   • if necessary, the owner can also be someone else, not necessarily you.

The notification is sent from the e-mail address arvutiabi@ut.ee.

What happens if no owner is designated?

If no owner is added to the group:

• the group is considered unnecessary;
• the group will be deleted.

NB! The deletion is not immediate: the deleted group can be restored within 30 days after deletion. Files that were stored in the group’s SharePoint site can be restored for up to one year after deletion. If the notification is not responded to, the user may receive repeated reminders over a period of time. It is recommended that each group have more than one owner to avoid an ownerless situation in the future.