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Specify How Long Messages Are Saved

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You can apply retention policies and archive policies to your e-mail items using Outlook Web App and Outlook 2010 or later versions. These policies let you specify how long e-mail items should be kept and what should be done with them when they reach a certain age.

Even if you do not apply policies to your e-mail items, items in your mailbox may be moved or deleted automatically based on default retention policies and default archive policies set up by the person that manages your mailbox.

Using Retention Policies and Archive Policies

Using retention policies and archive policies, you can specify:

  • How long you want to keep mailbox items before they're automatically archived. When the retention period expires, items will automatically be moved to your Online Archive.

  • How long you want to keep mailbox items before they're automatically deleted. You may be able to recover items that are deleted for a time period specified by the person who manages your mailbox. For more information, see Recover Deleted Items.

You can apply retention policies and archive policies to both items and folders in your mailbox.

Customize the List of Retention Policies and Archive Policies You Can Use

You may be able to add or remove some of the optional retention policies and archive policies that were set up by the person who manages your mailbox. You do this on the Retention Policies tab in Outlook Web App. For more information, see Add or Remove an Optional Retention Policy or Archive Policy.

Note

The option to customize the list of retention policies to use for your mailbox may not be available to you. For more information about how to customize the list of policies, contact the person who manages your mailbox.

What else do I need to know?

  • If you're an Outlook user, you can view and apply archive policies and retention policies to your messages if you're using Outlook 2010. For information about how to obtain a free trial version or how to purchase Outlook 2010, see the Microsoft Office Online Web site.

What if I want to know more?