Chat message - retention?

[Spudgun]

Hi All,

Happy New Year!

Question - A user has left. they left in 2020. I needed to find an item they shared with me via chat. I searched within the Teams client and I couldn't find the file anywhere. It's not in any "received item" folder nor downloads etc. 

So I try to search the chat in the Teams client. The conversation with the user doesn't appear - only "conversation with myself"

If I do the same online, the web version lists the entire conversation - I have also found the item and have downloaded it. 

Why could I do this in the web version but not client? How have I found the user even though he has been deleted? I managed to find and old file from a leaver - where are these files stored? (I'm now thinking our retention policies need to be looked at!)

Thanks

[#2]

Hi, difficult to say what's happening here with no insight to your org. config. If no retention is configured then the deletion of customer data will occur according to what's called "active deletion" (at most 30 days). But then you have retention options that would keep the data for administrators when doing compliance searches using eDiscovery. As you've already said, you should talk to your IT folks.

Btw, as it's a file that was found and not a message it's probably stored in SharePoint (shared in channel?). If a personal shared file then it would be in that users OneDrive and that data will also be deleted as a default setting 30 days (but can be configured), and at most be accessible for an administrator for 93 days.