Forum Discussion
Outlook Archiving
Is there a default policy for archiving in Outlook (O365)? We all have an archive folder by default of course which I know can't be deleted. If I move something into that folder, where exactly does it go? Is it sitting in the cloud or is it stored locally?
4 Replies
There is a default policy, but the Archive folder has nothing to do with it. The Archive folder is basically a "copy" of the similar functionality found in other email providers, in other words it's just a folder in your mailbox, nothing else. You can move items there, they stay in the folder, they continue to contribute to the mailbox quota, etc.
Whereas the actual archiving functionality moves items to the Online Archive, that is a separate mailbox attached to your "primary" one. It's only accessed when online, and it doesn't contribute to the size of the mailbox or the local OST file.
VasilMichevSo if I set up an auto-archive for instance, that archive is moving mail to an online archive? Or am I misunderstanding?
If you are referring to the auto-archive feature in Outlook (File -> Advanced -> AutoArchive), that's a client-side feature, basically an export to PST. NOT recommended.
I would suggest using the Online archive instead: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/compliance/enable-archive-mailboxes
