Forum Discussion
Arthur_wang
Jul 16, 2020Brass Contributor
How to set the retention Policy for Microsoft Teams Files
I want to set the retention policy for Teams Files. As I know, I can set the policy for SharePoint Site and OneDrive for business. I want to delete the files which belong to Teams. How do I choose...
- Jul 16, 2020Hi Arthur_wang
Here is how to set a retention policy for Teams chats and conversations
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/retention-policies
Here is for SharePoint and OneDrive
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/retention-policies-sharepoint?view=o365-worldwide
Teams is a converged application. Files in Teams go into SharePoint (For Teams files) or OneDrive (for personal files). Setting the retention policy on SharePoint and OneDrive files is therefore setting it for files in Teams
To specify which SharePoint sites and OneDrive accounts would be when you are creating the policy - see here
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/create-retention-policies?view=o365-worldwide#configuration-information-for-sharepoint-sites-and-onedrive-accounts
Hope that answers your question
Best, Chris
gauravmahajan
Nov 24, 2021Brass Contributor
My understanding based on https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/create-retention-policies?view=o365-worldwide#additional-retention-policy-needed-to-support-teams was that Teams files get covered by the Microsoft 365 Groups location. Your guidance seems to indicate that they get covered by the SharePoint location (as is indicated in a few other places such as this). I know the features and guidance keeps evolving so mayb e it has changed since this post was published.
Any chance you can confirm your understanding of what location should be used for the Teams files?
Thank you!
Nov 24, 2021
Hello, emails and files that you use with Teams aren't included in retention policies for Teams. Only chats, channel messages and private channels messages. This data is stored in Azure and as compliance records in a hidden folder in the mailboxes of each user included in the chat, and a similar hidden folder in a group mailbox for Teams channel messages.
Private chat files are stored in the sender's OneDrive folder and files shared within a conversation are automatically added to the underlying SharePoint document library.
A retention policy applied to a Microsoft 365 group includes the group mailbox and SharePoint teams site. Files stored in the SharePoint teams site are covered with this location, that is the default value.
Private chat files are stored in the sender's OneDrive folder and files shared within a conversation are automatically added to the underlying SharePoint document library.
A retention policy applied to a Microsoft 365 group includes the group mailbox and SharePoint teams site. Files stored in the SharePoint teams site are covered with this location, that is the default value.