One-to-one and group chats in MS Teams are deleted after 150 days, except for links and files shared during conversations, a period equivalent to a semester. Conversations that go beyond 150 days since their creation are deleted from the system. These messages will no longer be retrievable.
Data retention schedules provide guidance on how long records must be kept and ensure records are not indefinitely stored if they are no longer needed. By regularly removing records that do not need to be stored, we foster a robust and healthy information management system grounded in the University's best practices, as we greatly reduce risks of data breaches and maximize the usage of storage space.
Which conversations are included?
For the time being, the change will only affect the conversations accessible by clicking “Chat” in the sidebar navigation from Microsoft Teams. This includes personal chats between yourself and another individual or a group (including chats from meetings) as well as “Chats with Self (Your space)” that are older than 150 days. As such, the new schedule does not impact conversations hosted within a Teams channel. Including channels created for professors for the delivery of their courses. Chats contained in Teams channels will be retained until manually deleted or the channel is decommissioned.
How will conversations and files be impacted?
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Any conversations that go beyond a 150-day period since creation are deleted from the system.
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This will include any conversations that are over the 150-day period.
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Links to files shared in one-to-one or group chats are also removed from the conversation after 150 days. However, the files themselves are still accessible in the MS OneDrive of the original sender under the folder “Microsoft Teams Chat Files”.
