Why Placing an In-Place Hold on OneDrive Won’t Preserve Teams Chat Messages
Many admins assume that holding a user’s OneDrive for Business site will capture all their data, including Teams chats. That’s not the case. Here’s what really happens and the correct way to make sure private Teams chats can’t be permanently deleted.
The Misconception: OneDrive Holds Everything
When you put a user’s OneDrive for Business on In-Place Hold, you preserve:
- Files they’ve uploaded to OneDrive
- Documents and items stored in their SharePoint-based libraries
However, Teams chat messages don’t live in OneDrive or SharePoint. Instead, every 1:1 or group chat message is stored in the user’s Exchange Online mailbox, tucked away in a hidden folder. That means OneDrive retention settings have no impact on Teams chats at all.
The Real Solution: Use a Teams Retention Policy
To stop User1 from permanently deleting private chat messages, you need to use a Retention Policy or Retention Hold in the Microsoft Purview compliance center:
- Sign in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.
- Go to Solutions > Data lifecycle management > Retention policies.
- Click Create new policy, name it (for example, “Teams Chat Retention”).
- Under Locations, select Teams chat (including 1:1 and group chats).
- Define how long to retain messages (for example, 1 year).
- Choose Retain items for a specific period, then Don’t delete items automatically or Delete items after the period depending on your requirements.
- Finalize and turn the policy on.
Once applied, any chat message—even if User1 tries to delete it—will remain preserved in their Exchange mailbox until the retention period expires.
Quick Comparison
| Approach | Preserves Teams Chats? | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| In-Place Hold on OneDrive | No | OneDrive holds files only, not Exchange-based chat messages. |
| Retention Policy for Teams chat in Purview | Yes | Applies to chat data stored in Exchange mailboxes. |
Final Thoughts
Don’t rely on OneDrive holds to protect Teams conversations. Always use a retention policy scoped to Teams chat to ensure private messages are retained. This keeps your compliance posture strong and makes sure critical discussions are never lost.
