Migrate Ownerless Teams Private Channels Before Permanent Deletion (MC1134737 Remediation)

Only a few days are left (5 July, 2026) before Microsoft permanently removes the soft-deleted Teams private channels. And suddenly, the automated migration stalled for thousands of organizations, quietly displaying a “RequiresAdminAttention” error.

This abrupt migration block has flooded the Microsoft Dynamics 365 community, Reddit, and other IT forums. Businesses and IT admins are constantly searching for a solution to migrate Teams private channels securely.

So, if you’re in the same queue, you must check out this updated and helpful professional guide. It will decode why your migration stopped and the best methods to migrate ownerless Teams private channels before permanent deletion!

What is MC1134737 Migration and Why is it Stuck?

Microsoft MC1134737 Migration is a major update that will transition Teams private channel data into a dedicated M365 Group mailbox. Aiming to centralize Teams private channel messages with incredible scale and functionality improvements.

The new architecture also proposes a massive channel limit of up to 1,000 per team with a 20x more members limit (up to 5000 members). Check out the comparison table below to differentiate between the offerings of the legacy architecture and the new architecture.

Why is my Teams private channel migration stuck on RequiresAdminAttention?

Teams private channel migration is stuck on RequiresAdminAttention due to Ownerless, empty, or guest-only private channels. Because the native automated transfer requires every private channel to have at least one active, valid in-tenant owner.

So, if your Teams private channels fail to meet the required criteria, the migration will stall. Resulting in a “ RequiresAdminAttention” error and spamming “Will Microsoft permanently delete my Teams private channels if they have no owner?”

SysTools Suggests: Migrate Teams from One Tenant to Another Using Most Effectively Way

Migrate Ownerless Teams Private Channels: Manual Method

Here are the 5 simple steps to migrate ownerless Teams private channels. Including guest-only and empty private channels.

Step #1: Establish a Secure Connection with Teams PowerShell

Connecting to Microsoft Teams PowerShell is required to confirm the status of Teams private channels. Since the Teams private migration channels status is hidden from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center GUI.

So, use the latest version of the Microsoft Teams PowerShell module to execute the specific cmdlets. Also, ensure you have Global Admin, Teams Admin, or Teams Service Admin rights. You cannot run the commands without the required administrative privileges.

Teams PowerShell commands to:

# Install or update the module if necessary

Install-Module -Name MicrosoftTeams -Force -AllowClobber

# Authenticate into your tenant

Connect-MicrosoftTeams

Step #2: Run Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus (Diagnostic Cmdlet)

Running the Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus will reveal the current migration status of Teams Private channels. But the specific channels causing blockage are stored inside a JSON string in the “Details” property.

Hence, you’re required to convert this JSON into a readable PowerShell object. Executing this will isolate the exact ownerless Teams private channels triggering the “Teams Private Channels Migration Stuck” error.

So, check the transfer status. And run the given PowerShell script to find ownerless channels:

# Display Teams Private Channel Migration Status

$TeamStatus = Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus

#Convert JSON into a PowerShell object

$TeamStatusJSON = $TeamStatus.Details | ConvertFrom-Json

# Isolate the exact channels that need fixing

$OwnerlessChannels = $TeamStatusJSON.ownerlessChannelsDetails

# Display the list of failing Thread IDs and Team IDs

$OwnerlessChannels

Step #3: Find and Unarchive Blocking Teams

Microsoft’s MC1134737 update assured a smooth automated migration. But the hard truth is it cannot migrate Archived Teams! Yes, if the parent team is archived, it cannot migrate private channels.

Therefore, channels inside archived teams will silently fail to migrate. And it will still show Remaining Channels, even though the status is failedChannels: 0 and ownerlessChannels: 0. Nevertheless, you can effortlessly find ownerless private channels in the Archived Teams. To do so;

• First, find all archived Teams in the environment by running: Get-Team -Archived $true
• From the identified list of ownerless private channels, check whether any failing teamID belongs to an archived Team.
• Unarchive the Teams by using any of the following methods:
  • • Via Teams Admin Center
    • Set-Team -GroupId -Archived $false cmdlet

Note: Avoid re-archiving the private channels until private channels transfer finishes.

Step #4: Map Channel IDs and Assign In-Tenant Owners (to Orphaned Private Channels)

Assign an active, internal user as the owner to the identified ownerless Teams private channels. Executing this will recover soft-deleted private channels from recycle bins. This prevents them from being permanently purged (deleted). Since Microsoft’s June 5 deadline has already passed and your Teams private channels migration is stalled, private channels must have been soft-deleted.

Note: You cannot assign guest accounts to the orphaned Teams private channels.

Fortunately, you can quickly map channel IDs and assign In-Tenant Owners by automating this process. Simply run the given scripts in Teams PowerShell:

# Define the active, internal admin account to take ownership (Replace your domain with “[email protected]”  

$AdminUPN = "[email protected]"

foreach ($Channel in $OwnerlessChannels) {
$TeamId = $Channel.teamId
$ThreadId = $Channel.channelThreadId

#The new owner MUST be a member of the parent team first

Add-TeamUser -GroupId $TeamId -User $AdminUPN -Role Owner

#Query the team to find the channel name matching the Thread ID

$TargetChannel = Get-TeamChannel -GroupId $TeamId | Where-Object { $_.Id -eq $ThreadId }
if ($TargetChannel) {

#Elevate the user to Owner of the specific private channel

Add-TeamChannelUser -GroupId $TeamId -DisplayName $TargetChannel.DisplayName -User $AdminUPN -Role Owner
Write-Host "Success: Assigned owner to channel '$($TargetChannel.DisplayName)'" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
Write-Host "Error: Channel $ThreadId not found in Team $TeamId. It may already be permanently deleted." -ForegroundColor Red
}
}

Step #5: Monitor the Automated Retry and Re-run the Diagnostics

Monitoring the automated retry is the last step to migrate ownerless Teams private channels. Because the Microsoft background job sweeps periodically to retry the failed channels. And there is no -force parameter available to force-push the migration.

So, wait 24 to 48 hours and monitor it. After that, run Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus to check the migration status of ownerless Teams private channels. Keep checking until the MigrationStatus property switches to Completed.

Once it’s completed, your tenant will instantly become eligible for new limits (1000 private channels per team and 5000 members per channel). Including complete meeting capabilities.

However, the transfer is still not “Completed” as the PowerShell cmdlet says! Because the MC1134737 migration will break your existing compliance silently. And could result in the following catastrophic events:

• Critical data loss
• Violation of legal holds
• eDiscovery audits failure

But why? Let’s find out in the “Post MC1134737 Migration Checklist”.

Post MC1134737 Migration Checklist (For IT Admins)

Once the MC134737 migration is resumed and ownerless Teams private channels are successfully migrated, follow the given effective steps. Applying these critical steps, followed by the private channel migration, promises a fully compliant tenant.

#1: Review Active eDiscovery Cases

Reviewing active eDiscovery cases ensures that the tenant remains fully compliant. Therefore, it is a robust practice to associate M365 Group Mailboxes to any active legal holds. Specifically, when private channel users are involved. Otherwise, any message shared in a private channel post MC1134737 will automatically bypass the respective legal hold. And can be purged according to the standard deletion policies.

#2: Audit Retention Policies

Post MC1134737 migration, the “Teams channel messages” policies and private channels legal requirements will share the same lifecycle rule. In simple words, you’re not required to maintain separate retention policies; one for standard channels and another for “Teams private channel messages”.

So what happened to the old policy?

The old Purview retention policies scoped particularly to ‘’Teams private channel messages” will be set permanently to “Read-Only”. They cannot be edited and are prohibited from capturing new messages. However, they can still govern the legacy data kept in individual user mailboxes.

Steps to configure the new policy:

• Go to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal and select Data Lifecycle Management.
• Edit the primary “Teams channel messages” retention policy. Or create a new one.
• Verify the policy is implemented at the M365 group level.

Note: You cannot isolate private channels globally after the update. For different retention timelines, specifically private channels, you must create a new “Teams channel messages” policy. And, completely scope it to the parent M365 Groups (that host sensitive private channels).

#3: Update Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Update the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to “All users and groups”. Since the new group mailbox architecture will not support targeting particular users for private channel OCR. It is a critical step for IT admins who utilize OCR to scan images for sensitive data.

Steps to update the OCR:

• Log in to the Microsoft Purview Portal (use an account with the Compliance Administrator, Compliance Data Administrator, or Global Administrator role).
• In the left-hand navigation menu, click Settings.
• Select Optimal Character Recognition. It will open the configuration panel.
• Right-click Locations and determine the repositories when you want to scan images.
• Under the included/excluded group settings, add or select All users and groups. It will configure target groups.
• Lastly, hit Done to save the changes.

Hot Reads: Move Teams Channel to Another Team: Complete Guide

The Takeaway

“How to migrate ownerless Teams private channels” has become a hot query across the 365 community and other IT forums. Organizations noticed that their private channel migration is stalled and throwing the “RequiresAdminAttention” error.

This Teams private channels migration stuck issue occurs due to ownerless, guest-only, and empty private channels. Fortunately, you can fix this issue and resume the transfer by assigning active in-tenant owners and unarchiving Teams via Teams PowerShell.

Hot Reads: 

• Is Microsoft Teams Down? Here’s How You Can Fix It
  
• How to Move a Folder in Microsoft Teams: Guide
  
• Move Teams Post to Another Channel: Complete Guide for Users
  

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q.1 Will Microsoft permanently delete my Teams private channels if they have no owner?
Microsoft will permanently delete only ownerless, guest-only, and empty private channels in Teams. So, make sure your Teams private channels are assigned a licensed in-tenant owner and successfully migrated.

Q.2 Why is my Teams private channel migration stuck on RequiresAdminAttention?
Teams private channel migration is stuck on RequiresAdminAttention because your private channels don’t have an active in-tenant owner or are a part of an Archived Team. Empty, guest-only, and ownerless private channels in Teams trigger this error. You are required to identify the specific private channels and assign them to the in-tenant owner using PowerShell scripts before 5 July, 2026.

Q.3 How do I find all ownerless private channels in Teams before they get deleted?
Run the given PowerShell command to find the ownerless private channels in Teams before they get deleted:

$TeamStatus = Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus
$TeamStatusJSON = $TeamStatus.Details | ConvertFrom-Json
$OwnerlessChannels = $TeamStatusJSON.ownerlessChannelsDetails
$OwnerlessChannels

Q.4 Can I manually trigger the migration after fixing ownerless channels?
Unfortunately not! You cannot force migration after fixing ownerless channels. Because the automatic transfer process relies on a Microsoft job. The system will automatically retry once all the Teams private channels have an active in-tenant owner and are not concealed in an archived team.

Q.5 What happens to eDiscovery if my private channel is soft-deleted next month?
The new messages shared in the private channels will not be retained for discovery after the deadline. You will be required to add the new private channel M365 Group mailbox to the hold scope for any team existing on legal hold.