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Teams - Chat History - saving/unsaving

Brass Contributor

Q1: When you save a message, is the entire history saved along with it? Example, I want to save just today's part of a persistent conversation. But when I save it, it the entire history saves too. Not sure I understand how that's beneficial. Is that how it's designed? Where can I learn more?

 

Q2: When I go to unsave a message, it appears to be unsaved, but when I return to view other saved messages, the unsaved one has reappeared. It's been replicated multiple times with three different users. It seems it's only happening with the most recent saved messages. We can unsave older messages successfully. Is anyone else experiencing this or is this a known issue? Or, is it just on our side and we need to investigate further? Thanks!

19 Replies
best response confirmed by ThereseSolimeno (Microsoft)
Solution
Saved messages are nothing more than a bookmark to the message, it doesn't actual do any saving. It's just navigating you to the exact chat/conversation where you clicked on save in the thread/chat history.

Q2: I've experienced the same and had to finagle with it to get it to remove saved messages.
Thanks, Chris! Explains a lot. From an adoption standpoint, have you seen that folks are using "save" or "pinned" messages more?
Yeah, it should save the conversation and the replies! Or as Chris said, it is a bookmark (shortcut )

Also,in my experience also is the experience is very buggy regarding removing etc...
Thanks, Adam!
My experience is people don't really use save at all, it's hard to forget they are there, I only use it for temporary bookmarks to go back and reply, but I forget often since there is no reminder. If I need to find something I just use search(which is another sore subject right now).

Pin is just for keeping your frequent contacts listed. I'm wanting to look into message actions and creating something for saving messages as to-do tasks, or some other form of follow up just haven't had time. You can bet those are coming as built in actions before long if I had to guess.

Yeah, I'm just not seeing the benefit of saving either. Seems redundant and as you said easy to forget they're saved since buried off your profile.

I love the idea of saving as to-do tasks! Fingers crossed!

Sort of related question since I've got you... the folks creating our training seem to go back and forth and use "chat, conversation, and message" interchangeably. I'm confused as I thought each of those have a unique quality. Do you know where I can find definitions to send to them (and help me too)? Don't go out of your way, but if you know, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
Don't think there is a 100% definition, but really chat is what it is, private chat, conversations I consider Team conversations. Messages I don't use that. The issue you will see is in other languages chat is translated or listed as conversation.

Also the tab in a chat is listed as conversation :P. But for training purposes, Chat or Chat message / Conversation or Team Conversations keep it consistent.
I think you nailed it! The training developers are in France and I'm in the US. Thank you so much! You've been very helpful.

@sl_roberts 

 

I've got a similair problem:
I do use save in Teams Chat frequently (like I also use bookmarks in Outlook), and I've got one message I can't unsave. It seems like it does, but every time I restart Teams, it is saved again.

Looks like a bug to me. 

 

What does Microsoft says about this?

 

Inge Rovers

@Inge_Rovers

 

It makes me wonder if this is not so much a bug as it is a sync issue. According to current documentation there are three parts that work together to synchronize data for the chat service; there's an article that notes that the chat service my appear to be out of sync with some of the other parts when it comes to retention polices and deletion of content older than the timeframe specified and once they all get synced back up, that you should see the same info in all places. Since the saved messages are bookmarks in the chat service (at least that's what they appear to be in my eyes) the sync may not be complete even though Teams has been closed and re-opened. It may be that those run on some sort of timer job, or take longer to sync. Just a theory, by no means an answer to this. 

@sl_roberts I also can't unsave one chat. I this point I've deleted all visible history in the chat and so the saved message has no content. But every time I unsave it, I click away and when I click back it reappears. I'm surprised that Microsoft hasn't commented on this thread as it is obviously a bug. I don't use save a lot but it can come in handy for things I just don't have time for at the moment but need to circle back to later. It is a good feature but it needs to be developed more.

@CJones2445 

I think I have the same issue

 

I can not unsave one specific message (i don't want to delete the message, only unsave so it gets away from my savelist). If I unsave it reappears again next time i look at my saves

 

I can unsave other messages, it is only one that has the issue

 

BTW I use the save list as my to do and I like that very much

@ChristianGarner same thing here. Unsaving just doesn't work anymore on specific chats

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@SjoerdV 

When I unsave (the purple flag nest to the saved message) it removes the entry but then it re-appears next time

 

 

@ChristianGarner The issue with unsaving is also mentioned here:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams/error-message-couldn-t-unsave-the-message/m-p...

Some advise to 'unsafe' on the same client you used to save the message OR fully signout, delete the client cache and/or reinstall teams all together. But I have not have any success with that.

@SjoerdV Thanks for the extra source! I've tried all of that, but no success. More and more people in my organization are starting to notice it and be annoyed. :(

@SjoerdVThanks, I don't get the error message in the tech article but just now encountered the issue with not being able to unsave a saved post.  I was going to show this to folks since if you click on Activity your indicator goes a way and if you don't read something right away it's all to easy to forget to return and read it later.  But if they won't be able to unsave, it's going to be more if an irritant than a help.

@Chris Webb 

Does this mean "Saved Chats"  are subjected to "Chats/Channel messages Retention/Deletion Policy"  and deleted after "x" days as specified in the policy?

@Raj Krishnan save messages have no bearing on the message itself, it is just a bookmark to the message, if it gets removed from policy then the book mark will no longer work to the saved message and thus the saved message will be removed. 

1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by ThereseSolimeno (Microsoft)
Solution
Saved messages are nothing more than a bookmark to the message, it doesn't actual do any saving. It's just navigating you to the exact chat/conversation where you clicked on save in the thread/chat history.

Q2: I've experienced the same and had to finagle with it to get it to remove saved messages.

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