Retain messages in Google Chat with Vault

As part of your organization's information governance approach, you can control how long direct messages (DMs), group messages, and messages in spaces in Google Chat are retained. Use retention rules to set how long to keep messages and when to delete them, if ever.

To keep data that matches specific conditions for a set time, create a custom retention rule. To keep all service data for all licensed accounts for a set time, create a default retention rule.

Important information about Chat retention

Before you set retention rules, we strongly recommend you read about how retention works and review the Chat messages supported in Vault.

WARNING: An improperly configured retention rule can allow Chat to immediately and irreversibly purge messages. Use caution when you create or change retention rules. We recommend that you test new rules on a small set of accounts before you apply the rules to your entire organization.

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What data can be retained

Covered:

• Messages and their attachments sent with history on, in Chat
• DMs sent by external users to your users
• Messages sent by external users in your organization’s group messages and spaces

Not covered:

• Messages sent with history off
• Linked files
• Messages in external Chat spaces
• Previewed messages

For details, see Supported services and data types.

Retention coverage depends on the type of rule

The default retention rule applies to all DMs, group messages, and Chat spaces in your organization.

A custom retention rule can apply to different sets of messages:

Organizational unit-based retention rule	"All Chat spaces" retention rule
DMs in Chat Group conversations in Chat created before early December 2020	Threaded spaces (spaces with messages in conversations) Unthreaded spaces (spaces with messages in a single thread, like DMs) Group conversations in Chat created after early December 2020

If more than one custom retention rule applies to a message, the message is retained according to the custom rule that expires last.

To retain all messages (DMs, group messages, and messages in spaces) with custom retention rules, you must create at least two rules. You create one rule for all Chat spaces to cover messages in spaces and certain group conversations, and create another rule for your top organizational unit to cover DMs and group messages.

Learn more about the differences between group messages and spaces.

Note: Unlike Gmail and Groups retention rules, you can’t use terms to target Chat retention rules to messages associated with specific accounts or that contain specific keywords.

Retention periods depend on who participates; messages in external spaces aren't retained

Direct messages

A DM is owned by each participant in a chat individually. When participants are in the same organization but covered by different retention rules, one participant might be able to access a DM while the other can’t.

For example, participant 1 is in an organizational unit subject to a retention rule that purges DMs after 7 days and they chat with participant 2 who’s in an organizational unit subject to an indefinite retention rule for DMs. Seven days after participant 1 sends or receives a DM with participant 2, participant 1 loses access to the DM. But, because participant 2’s DMs are retained indefinitely, the DMs aren’t purged and participant 2 still has access to them.

DMs with external users

When participants belong to different organizations, DMs are retained according to each organization’s retention rules.

For example, Company A retains DMs for 1 week and Company B retains DMs for 2 years. Vault handles DMs between users in Company A and Company B as follows:

• Company A retains the DMs for 1 week, then any messages not already deleted are deleted. These messages are no longer available to Company A users. Chat has a 30-day retention period that keeps messages for 30 days after they're deleted. During that period, the messages are still available in Vault. After the Chat retention period ends, the DM is no longer available in Vault for Company A.
• Company B retains the DMs, and can search and export them, for 2 years. After 2 years, any messages not already deleted are deleted and retained by the Chat 30-day retention period. After the Chat retention period ends, the DM is no longer available in Vault for Company B and is purged from Google systems.

Chat spaces

When you set a default retention rule or create a custom retention rule for Chat, Vault can retain messages only in spaces that have history turned on. Chat retention rules set for organizational units don’t apply to messages in spaces.

External users in Chat spaces

When participants belong to different organizations, the conversation is retained according to the rules of the organization of the space's creator. If users in your organization participate in spaces owned by another organization, those messages aren’t available to Vault for retention, holds, search, or export.

When a retention period expires, Vault purges all covered Chat messages

Chat retention rules don't have the option to purge only messages deleted by users. A retention rule with an expiration purges all messages when the retention period expires.

Set a custom retention rule for Chat

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click RetentionCustom RulesCreate.
3. For the service, select Chat and then click Continue.
4. Choose an entity:
   • To retain DMs and group conversations that were sent or received by accounts in an organizational unit, select Organizational unit. Click the organizational unit field and, in the dialog that opens, click the organizational unit. The rule doesn't apply to messages in spaces or group conversations in Chat created after early December 2020.
   • To retain messages in all spaces in your organization, select All Chat spaces. The rule doesn't apply to direct messages or some group messages.

   Review the differences between rule types.

5. Choose how long to keep messages:
   • To permanently retain messages covered by this rule, choose Indefinitely.
   • To discard messages after a set time, choose Retention period and enter the number of days, from 1 to 36,500.
     Warning: Vault allows Chat to immediately purge data that exceeds the retention period when you submit a new rule. The purged data can include data that users expect to keep. Don't proceed to the next step until you’re sure the rule is configured correctly.
6. Click Create. If you set a retention period, check the confirmation box and click Accept.

Set the default retention rule for Chat

1. Sign in to vault.google.com.
2. Click Retention. The list of default rules opens.
3. Click Chat .
4. Choose how long to keep messages:
   • To permanently retain messages covered by this rule, choose Indefinitely.
   • To discard all messages after a set time, choose Retention period and enter the number of days, from 1 to 36,500.
     Warning: Vault allows Chat to immediately purge data that exceeds the retention period when you submit the rule. The purged data can include data that users expect to keep. Don't proceed to the next step until you’re sure the rule is configured correctly.
5. Click Save. Vault asks you to confirm you understand the rule's effects. Check the boxes and click Accept to save the rule.