Manage retention and holds

As a Vault administrator, you should check your retention rules and holds periodically to ensure that Vault is helping you meet your organization's business and legal requirements.

Warning: When you modify holds and retention rules, your changes may remove data that users expect to keep. Data that isn't protected by holds or other retention rules may be immediately and permanently expunged. Learn more.

The default retention rule

The default retention rule is the global preservation and expunge policy that applies to users' messages and files when a custom rule or a hold does not apply.

How do I verify or modify the default retention rule?
  1. Sign in to Vault and click Retention in the left navigation.
  2. Look for Default retention rules at the top of the page. Verify that they're set the way you want. Default rules can be "not set," set for a specific number of days, or set to keep messages or files indefinitely.
  3. If you want to modify the default retention period, click Edit  and make your changes.

    Note: If you shorten or unset the default rule, you risk losing data that you might need to keep. Please proceed with caution.

Learn more about setting retention, including what each option for the default rule means. Also, refresh yourself on how retention works.

Custom retention rules

Controls how long specific types of data are retained. .

How do I verify or modify a custom rule?
  1. Sign in to Vault and click Retention in the left navigation and examine the list of rules under the Custom Retention Rules heading.
  2. If you want to modify a custom rule, click Edit  and make your changes.

    Note: Content is retained according to the most recent modification to the custom retention rule. You risk losing data that users expect to keep. Proceed with caution.

Understanding how custom rules and holds impact the default retention rule is important. Learn more about setting retention. Also, refresh yourself on how retention works.

Holds

Holds are placed on specific users or organizational units to retain their data indefinitely. Holds take precedence over the default retention rule and over any custom retention rules.

How do I see a list of users on hold?
  1. Sign in to Vault and clickReports in the left navigation.
  2. Click Holds. Any users who are on hold appear in the list.
  3. Click the hold in the list to see what matters the hold belongs to.

Learn more about holds, including how to create a new hold or remove an existing one.

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