Fix: Teams Messages Not Deleting for Microsoft 365 E3 Users
Microsoft Teams is one of the most widely used collaboration tools in Microsoft 365. Normally, users can delete their own messages in chats or channels. But sometimes, you may run into a case where a user with a valid Microsoft 365 E3 license is unable to delete messages they’ve sent.
If you’ve seen this issue, don’t worry — it’s usually not a licensing problem. Instead, the behavior is almost always controlled by Teams messaging policies or compliance retention rules. In this guide, we’ll break down why this happens and how you can fix it.
Why Teams Messages May Not Delete
When users try to delete a message but it stays in the chat, the root cause is one of two things:
- Messaging Policy Restrictions – Admins can configure whether users are allowed to delete their own messages. If the setting is off, deletion won’t work.
- Retention Policies in Microsoft Purview – Compliance rules may be in place to keep chat messages for a certain period. If a retention policy is applied, messages cannot be deleted until that retention period ends.
Step 1: Check Teams Messaging Policy
The first thing to review is the Teams Messaging Policy.
- Go to the Microsoft Teams Admin Center → Messaging policies.
- Open the policy assigned to the user.
- Check the following settings:
- Owners can delete sent messages
- Users can delete sent messages
👉 If “Users can delete sent messages” is turned off, users won’t be able to delete their own messages.
Step 2: Confirm Policy Assignment
Even if the settings look correct, make sure the right policy is actually applied to the user:
- In the Teams Admin Center, open the user’s profile.
- Under Policies, check which messaging policy is assigned.
- If it’s a custom restrictive policy, switch them to:
- Global (Org-wide default), or
- Another policy that allows message deletion.
Changes may take a few hours to apply, so have the user test again later.
Step 3: Check for Retention Policies in Microsoft Purview
If the messaging policy allows deletion but messages still cannot be removed, the next likely cause is a retention policy.
Retention policies are set in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to preserve Teams chats or channel messages for compliance.
To check:
- Go to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal → Data lifecycle management → Retention policies.
- Look for any policies targeting Teams chat or Teams channel messages.
- If a retention period (e.g., 1 year, 7 years) is set, messages cannot be deleted until that period has expired.
👉 This is by design, as Microsoft prioritizes compliance rules over user preferences.
Step 4: Test with Another Account
Finally, test with another user account:
- If another user with the same license can delete messages, the issue is policy assignment for the original user.
- If no one can delete messages, then a global policy or retention setting is responsible.
Final Thoughts
If a Microsoft 365 E3 user cannot delete Teams messages, it’s rarely a license issue. Instead, it’s almost always:
- A messaging policy in Teams Admin Center, or
- A retention policy in Microsoft Purview.
Check both, adjust settings where needed, and then test again. With the right configuration, users should be able to delete their own Teams messages without issue.