Forum Discussion
Prevent messages from being deleted in Outlook
Hi all!
I'm trying to see if there is a way to prevent e-mails messages from being deleted from Outlook.
I've tried to put my mailbox under litigation hold AND under In-Place hold.
In both cases, even if I can still retrieve the messages through eDiscovery, I can still delete the messages from the inbox, the deleted items and the recoverable items.
Is there a way to keep the messages in the inbox no matter what?
Thank you.
Dom
- There is no functionality within the M365 suite that allows you to block users from deleting messages in their own mailbox. The reason is simple - users "own" their mailbox and can do with any item within as they please. If you as the administrator need to ensure compliance needs are met, holds or (new-style) retention policies are the way to go. However they do not prevent the user from deleting messages from their Inbox, they work by preserving a copy of the deleted item instead, which you can then recover via eDidscovery.
P.S. the old-style (legacy) retention policies do not ensure item preservation.
- There is no functionality within the M365 suite that allows you to block users from deleting messages in their own mailbox. The reason is simple - users "own" their mailbox and can do with any item within as they please. If you as the administrator need to ensure compliance needs are met, holds or (new-style) retention policies are the way to go. However they do not prevent the user from deleting messages from their Inbox, they work by preserving a copy of the deleted item instead, which you can then recover via eDidscovery.
P.S. the old-style (legacy) retention policies do not ensure item preservation. Hi DomAnnicette,
In Outlook, if you want to prevent email messages from being deleted from your inbox, you can consider using the "Auto Archive" feature.
AutoArchive settings explained - Microsoft Support
Archive older items automatically - Microsoft Support
Auto archive allows you to control how long items are retained in your mailbox before they are automatically deleted. Here's how you can set up a retention policy to keep messages in your inbox:1. Open Outlook
2. Click on the "File" tab at the top left corner of the Outlook window.
3. In the Info section, click on "Options."
4. In the Outlook Options window, select "Advanced" from the left sidebar.
5. In the AutoArchive section, click on "AutoArchive Settings."
6. In the AutoArchive dialog box, click on "AutoArchive Settings."
- Check the box that says "Run AutoArchive every:" and set the number of days to your preference
- Below, you'll find the option "Permanently delete old items." Make sure this option is unchecked.
- Click "OK" to save your changes.
7. Apply the Retention Policy:
- Back in the Outlook Options window, click "OK" to close it.
- You may be prompted to apply this policy to your inbox. Confirm this action.By setting up a retention policy as described above, you can ensure that items in your inbox won't be automatically deleted after a specific period. It only prevents automatic deletion based on the retention policy (not the manual deletion).
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Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic
- Hi Leon,
Thanks for your feedback.
This settings seem ok on a user-basis configuration. I need to do this at scale for multiple users at once. This is why I'm looking at retention policies.
Also I don't think this setup prevent emails from being deleted manually, right?
Thanks again for your help.
Regards,
DomHi DomAnnicette,
thanks for the update.
For implementing those settings for multiple (or all users) you can use Retention policy in Microsoft Compliance (Purview) portal (https://compliance.microsoft.com).
There you can choose Data lifecycle management --> Exchange (legacy), and there should be a default MRM Policy.Here you can alter the values to your needs. You can also create a new policy and set the delete value to never.
Here are some valueable references on this topic.
Create a Retention Policy in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn
Creating a 'never delete' data retention policy in Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Community HubAutomatically retain or delete content by using retention policies | Microsoft Learn
Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.
Kindest regards,
Leon Pavesic
