Microsoft Teams Retention Policy FAQ

Looking for some information about Teams policies? Leverage the buttons to the left to help you navigate. To help get you started, check out the following frequently asked questions:

How is Teams Chat Retention different than Skype?

Unlike Skype, Teams Chat does not have transient chat capabilities. Be mindful of what you say over Teams Chat and abide by the Acceptable Use Police. Microsoft Teams Chat messages, including those generated during a Teams meeting, will be automatically deleted after 30 days (once enabled by GMIT) unless one of the chat participants is subject to Litigation Hold. If any chat participant is subject to a Litigation Hold, all chats will be automatically retained during the period that any user is under Litigation Hold, even if the individual under Litigation Hold does not actively engage in the communication. Therefore, you should assume Teams Chats could be retained significantly longer than the default 30-day retention period.

If a chat must be retained for Litigation Hold or ILM compliant is the obligation of the chat user to take affirmative steps to export the content for storage in an appropriate location. The automatic retention of chats for users subject to Litigation Hold does not alleviate this requirement. Users must maintain access to material subject to Litigation Hold to fulfill requests from Legal Staff and/or properly manage records in accordance with the ILM policy. Learn More...

How will Teams Chat Retention work?

When the auto-delete policy is turned on, you'll notice messages are gradually removed, from the oldest to the newest. Messages and Files posted within a Teams Chat will automatically delete after 30 days have passed. Files posted within a Teams Chat will still be available within your OneDrive.

What should I know about chat in Teams Meetings?

All meeting invitees will have access to the entire chat history. This includes optional attendees, those who do not attend, those who only join the meeting for a short time and external participants. If the information shared during the meeting is sensitive or confidential, it's recommended that you disable chats for the meeting. Reminder: Chats in Teams Meetings are subject to the same retention rules as 1:1 or group chats.

Does Teams Chat Auto-Delete Policy apply to conversations in Teams Channels?

Teams Channel conversations and content created within, are NOT impacted by chat auto-delete policy, and are NOT automatically deleted.

Does Voicemail Received via Teams have a Retention Policy?

Yes, voicemails received via Teams are stored in your Outlook mailbox in a folder called "Voicemail" and are subject to a 14-day auto-delete. If a voicemail must be retained for Litigation Hold or ILM compliance, it is the obligation of the user to take affirmative steps to retain the voicemail Learn More...

Can I use Teams to call 911 in an emergency?

While emergency services may be reached by dialing 911 from the Microsoft Teams client when enabled with softphone functionality, if the location details are not correct emergency services may not respond to the correct location. The user must confirm or update the location detected in the Microsoft Teams client.