Manage retention rules and holds

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

Warning: When you modify or delete holds and retention rules, you can allow services to purge data that users expect to keep. Data that isn't protected by other holds or retention rules might be immediately and permanently purged. Learn more.

Manage default retention rules

These steps are for new Vault (vault.google.com). Go to steps for classic Vault

Default retention rules provide global preservation and purge policies for each service. They apply to user data when custom retention rules or holds don't apply.

  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Retention.
  3. On the Default Rules tab, review the default rules. Verify that they're set the way you want.
    • If the duration and action value is No default retention, then no default retention rule is set for that service.
    • If the status is Off, then the data for that service is covered by another service's default retention rule, if any. A default rule that's off might have a duration that's "Not set" or a number of days. These default retention rules apply only when retention for that setting is turned on.
  4. You can edit or unset a default retention rule:
    • To edit a default retention rule, click Edit "" and make your changes. Then click Save.

      Note: If you shorten the retention duration or unset a default rule, you might allow the service to purge data you want to keep. Proceed with caution.

    • To unset a default retention rule, point to the rule and click Delete. Click Delete again to confirm.

Manage custom retention rules

These steps are for new Vault (vault.google.com). Go to steps for classic Vault

Custom retention rules control how long specific types of data are retained.

Verify or edit a custom rule
  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Retentionand thenCustom Rules.
  3. Review the custom rules. You can filter the list to a specific service, condition, and other rule properties.
  4. To edit a custom rule, click the rule and make your changes.

    Note: Your updates are applied as soon as you save them. You risk losing data that users expect to keep. Proceed with caution.

  5. Click Save.

Delete a custom retention rule

  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Retentionand thenCustom Rules.
  3. To delete a single rule, point to the rule and click Delete.
  4. To delete many rules:
    1. Check the box next to each rule you want to delete.
    2. At the top, click Delete.
  5. Confirm that you want to delete the rule and click Delete.

Manage holds

These steps are for new Vault (vault.google.com). Go to steps for classic Vault

Holds are placed on specific users, organizational units, groups, rooms, or shared drives. Holds retain data indefinitely and take precedence over default retention rules and any custom retention rules.

Edit a hold

  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Matters and click the matter with the hold you want to edit. If you don't know which matter has the hold, you can find the hold through Reports:
    1. On the Vault home page, click Reports.
    2. To find holds on an organizational unit, click Domain Holds.
    3. To find holds on a user, click User Holds.
    4. To find holds on groups, click Group Holds.
  3. Click the hold you want to edit.
  4. Click Edit hold. Make your changes.

    Note: When you edit a hold, the data might be immediately purged if no retention rules or other holds apply. Proceed with caution.

  5. Click Save.

Delete a hold

  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Matters and click the matter with the hold you want to edit. If you don't know which matter has the hold, you can find the hold through Reports:
    1. On the Vault home page, click Reports.
    2. To find holds on an organizational unit, click Domain Holds.
    3. To find holds on a user, click User Holds.
    4. To find holds on groups, click Group Holds.
  3. Check the box next to the hold you want to delete.
  4. At the top, click Delete.

    Note: When you delete a hold, the data might be immediately purged if no retention rules or other holds apply. Proceed with caution.

  5. Confirm that you want to delete the hold and click Delete.
Review which users are on hold
  1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
  2. Click Reports.
  3. Click User Holds. Any users who are on hold appear in the list.
  4. Click the hold to see what matter the hold belongs to.

Use classic Vault

Click below to open steps for classic Vault (ediscovery.google.com). Go to steps for new Vault

Manage retention rules and holds in ediscovery.google.com

Manage default retention rules

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Retention.
  3. In the Default retention rules section, review the default rules. 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 data indefinitely.
  4. You can edit or unset a default retention rule:
    • To edit a default retention rule, click Edit "" and make your changes.

      Note: If you shorten the retention duration or unset a default rule, you might allow the service to purge data you want to keep. Proceed with caution.

    • To unset a default retention rule, uncheck the Set a default retention rule box.

  5. Click Save.

Manage custom retention rules

Verify or edit a custom rule

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Retention.
  3. In the Custom retention rules section, review the custom rules.
  4. To edit a custom rule, click Edit "" and make your changes.

    Note: Your updates are applied as soon as you save them. You risk losing data that users expect to keep. Proceed with caution.

  5. Click Save.

Delete a custom retention rule

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Retention.
  3. In the Custom retention rules section, review the custom rules.
  4. Check the box next to the rule you want to delete.
  5. At the top, click Delete selected.

    Note: The rule is deleted as soon as you confirm. You risk losing data that users expect to keep. Proceed with caution.

  6. Confirm that you want to delete the rule and click Delete.

Manage holds

Edit a hold

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Matters. A list of holds opens.
  3. Click the hold you want to edit.
  4. Click Edit hold. Make your changes.

    Note: When you edit a hold, the data might be immediately purged if no retention rules or other holds apply. Proceed with caution.

  5. Click Save.

Delete a hold

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Matters. A list of holds opens.
  3. Check the box next to the hold you want to delete.
  4. At the top, click Delete selected.

    Note: When you delete a hold, the data might be immediately purged if no retention rules or other holds apply. Proceed with caution.

  5. Confirm that you want to delete the hold and click Delete.

Review which users are on hold

  1. Sign in to Vault.
  2. In the left navigation, click Reports.
  3. Click User Holds. Any users who are on hold appear in the list.
  4. Click the hold to see what matter the hold belongs to.
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