How to enable Reminders of incomplete Outlook Tasks in the Online Archive/in-place Archive?

Question

Hello,

As far as I can tell there is no way to exempt Tasks from being archived without turning off archiving e-mails as well. Users would have to select each folder individually and turn archiving on. That is not feasible in our environment.

We have disabled the old Autoarchive functionality and phasing out .pst files in our company.

The problem is, that incomplete Tasks are getting archived and those are not sending reminders when it is their due date.

Can reminders be activated again? Is there any workaround?

Is there an authoritative statement from Microsoft that says reminders do not work from the Online Archive?

Answer 1

Hi, OutlookIssues1337

Thanks for your update. We understand your concerns about retention policies and their impact on email archiving.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Adjusting Retention Policies

Retention policies in Exchange Online can be configured to manage the lifecycle of emails and other mailbox items. These policies are applied through retention tags, which can be set to either delete or archive items after a specified period.

Here’s how you can adjust these policies:

1. Create Retention Tags: You can create different types of retention tags:
   • Default Policy Tag (DPT): Applies to all items in the mailbox.
   • Retention Policy Tag (RPT): Applies to default folders like Inbox or Deleted Items.
   • Personal Tags: Users can apply these to custom folders or individual items.
2. Create a Retention Policy: Combine the retention tags into a policy and apply it to mailboxes. This can be done through the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Microsoft Purview portal - Create a Retention Policy in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn.
3. Apply the Policy: Assign the retention policy to specific mailboxes. This can be done for individual mailboxes or in bulk -Apply a retention policy to mailboxes in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn.

Impact on Email Archiving

Adjusting retention policies to prevent tasks from being archived until they are completed does not necessarily disable archiving emails altogether. Instead, it allows you to fine-tune which items are archived and when.

However, it’s important to note:

• Retention Tags: You can create specific tags that exclude tasks from being archived while still allowing other items to be archived based on different criteria.
• Policy Application: Retention policies can be applied at the mailbox level, meaning you can have different policies for different users or groups.

Practical Considerations

• AutoArchive Disabled: Since AutoArchive is disabled in your environment, you’ll need to rely on retention policies for managing email lifecycle.
• Manual Archiving: As manual archiving is not an option, configuring retention policies becomes even more critical.
• User-Specific Policies: Users do not need to enable policies for every folder separately. Once a retention policy is applied to a mailbox, it governs all items within that mailbox according to the tags included in the policy.

We' sorry that some of your users' Microsoft To Do and Planner are no alternatives which feels sadly. Nevertheless, we recommend you to share your thoughts with Outlook Develop Team in here- Outlook · Community.

Thanks for your understanding and your efforts will make Microsoft better.

Hope everything goes well on you.

Answer 2

Hi, OutlookIssues1337

Good day!

Thanks for posting into our community and we're glad to assist you.

According to your description, we understand your concern about incomplete Outlook Tasks being archived and not sending reminders.

Unfortunately, reminders for tasks stored in the Online Archive or in-place Archive do not work. This is a known limitation, and there is no way to enable reminders for tasks once they are archived.

Here are a few workarounds you might consider:

1. Adjust Retention Policies: Modify the retention policies to prevent tasks from being archived until they are completed. This can be done through the Exchange Admin Center.
2. Manual Archiving: Instead of relying on automatic archiving, manually archive emails and other items, leaving tasks in the primary mailbox - Tasks move automatically to online Archive (Outlook 365) after certain - Microsoft Community.
3. Task Management Tools: Use dedicated task management tools like Microsoft To Do, which integrates with Outlook and provides robust reminder functionalities without the risk of archiving issues.

As for an authoritative statement from Microsoft, there isn't a specific document that explicitly states reminders do not work from the Online Archive. However, it is a widely acknowledged limitation within the community and support forums. Since it is approaching into the design-level that we could not much for you, at this moment, would you please suggest this as a new feature with Microsoft Outlook's engineering Team directly -Contact support and provide feedback in new Outlook for Windows - Microsoft Support. We all hope your voice can be heard by them and hopefully this new feature will be updated in the future version. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. Your efforts can help many other users.

Furthermore, we would like to introduce Microsoft expert team who might have other possible workarounds for you. You can have a nice chat with these experts and they might seeking for possible solutions for you in here - Microsoft Tech Community Hub.

Thanks for your precious time and your understanding would be highly appreciated.

Hope you all the best and wish you have a great day!

Answer 3

Hi, OutlookIssues1337

Thanks for your sharing and hope if works for you.

Your understanding and cooperation would be highly appreciated.

Hope you all the best!

Answer 4

Thank you for the clarification. I was not aware that the policies could be applied individually. I will check if it is possible (technically or politically) within our organization.

Answer 5

Hello AlexChen,

Thank you for your reply. It is unfortunate that reminders do not work from the Online Archive. Could you elaborate on this option:

"Adjust Retention Policies: Modify the retention policies to prevent tasks from being archived until they are completed. This can be done through the Exchange Admin Center."

From what I understand, that would also disable archiving e-mails altogether (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/how-to-exclude-tasks-from-being-archived/75d7c0ea-f7e3-46e4-9f11-ef6a3a9ac136) and every user would enable it for every folder in their mailbox separately.

Or has that changed?

Manual archiving is not an option, we have the option for AutoArchive disabled. It does not even show up on our Outlook clients. We can´t use work arounds with .pst files since we will blocking them soon. And of course, for some of our users To Do and Plannar are no alternatives, sadly.

Thank you!