Collaboration Tools Retention FAQs

email teams sharepoint onedrive cloud-storage faq

Updates to Vanderbilt IT storage and retention policies will affect users of Microsoft services

Vanderbilt IT rolled out new retention and storage policies that affected users of Microsoft services across the university. Beginning April 14, 2025, additional email retention policies will be applied to most Microsoft email users.

Key Changes

Microsoft Teams Chat Retention
- All chat messages will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
- This applies to one-to-one, group and meeting chats.
- There will be no changes to messages in Teams channels.
OneDrive Storage Limits
- Limits for faculty and staff, active students:
  - 250 GB cap
- Limits for affiliates (including VUMC-employed faculty and staff with VUnetIDs), contractors and other account holders
  - 50 GB cap
- Vanderbilt offers several storage options to meet academic, research and administrative needs.
  - Get more information about the storage options available.
Microsoft Exchange/Outlook Email Changes
- For current staff, graduate students, affiliates, and shared exchange mailboxes:
  - Items in “Deleted Items” folder will be purged after 90 days.
  - All mailbox items older than 7 years will be purged.
- There is no change for faculty.
- There is no change for undergraduate students using Gmail.

Frequently Asked Questions on Storage Retention

Click to expand the topics below

Microsoft Teams Chat Retention

Does this policy apply to Teams channels?
No, the 30-day retention policy only applies to one-to-one, group, and meeting chats. Messages in Teams channels are not affected by this policy.

What happens to files shared in Teams chats?
Files shared in Teams chats will remain in OneDrive or SharePoint, depending on where they were originally stored. The chat messages themselves will be deleted after 30 days, but the files will still be accessible.

Are my chats recoverable after they are deleted?
No, they are not recoverable after they are deleted.

Does this affect meeting recordings?
No, meeting recordings are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and are not affected by the 30-day chat retention policy.

Can I save important chat messages before they are deleted?
Yes, you can manually save important chat messages by copying them to a document or another storage location before the 30-day period ends.

OneDrive Storage Limits

What happens if I exceed the 250 GB storage limit?
If you exceed the 250 GB storage limit, you will not be able to upload new files until you reduce your storage usage below the limit. You may need to delete or move some files to free up space.

How can I check my current OneDrive storage usage?
You can check your OneDrive storage usage by logging into your OneDrive account and viewing the storage details in the settings or account information section. Login here: https://onedrive.live.com/login/

Are there any exceptions to the storage limits for specific projects or research?Exceptions to the storage limits may be granted for specific projects or research needs. You will need to submit a request for an exception, detailing the nature of your project and the additional storage required.

How can I request an exception to the storage limit?
To request an exception to the storage limit, you can contact the Vanderbilt IT support team through the VUIT website and provide details about your storage needs and the reason for the exception.

What other storage options are available if I need more space?
Vanderbilt offers several additional storage options, including departmental shared drives and other cloud storage solutions. More information about these options can be found on the VUIT website.

Microsoft Exchange/Outlook Email Changes

How can I save important emails that I don’t want to be deleted?
You can save important emails by moving them to a local folder on your computer. Instructions can be found here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-an-outlook-message-as-a-eml-file-a-pdf-file-or-as-a-draft-4821bcd4-7687-4d6d-a486-b89a291a56e2

Will this policy affect my Gmail account if I am an undergraduate student?
No, the retention policy changes only apply to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook accounts. Undergraduate students using Gmail will not be affected by these changes.

Are the items in my Deleted Items folder recoverable after being purged?
No, items are not recoverable after the folder is purged.

Will this policy apply to only my inbox or will it also affect other folders?
The policy will apply to all folders within your mailbox, including the inbox, sent items, and any other folders you have created, as well as online archives.

Why are items in the Deleted Items folder being purged after 90 days?
Although an item has been deleted, it doesn’t actually leave the mailbox until the Deleted Items folder is emptied or purged. This policy ensures that deleted items are permanently removed after 90 days to free up storage space and maintain mailbox efficiency.

User Impact Details

I am a….	Teams	OneDrive	Outlook/Exchange
VU-Employed Faculty with A5 (Regular)	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	250 Gigabyte Cap	No Change
VU-Employed Faculty with A1 (Temp)	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	50 Gigabyte Cap	No Change
VUMC-Employed Faculty	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	50 Gigabyte Cap (100 Gigabyte Service Limit)	No Change
Graduate Student	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	250 Gigabyte Cap	Deleted Items purged after 90 days All items purged after 7 years
Undergraduate Student	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	250 Gigabyte Cap	N/A – Gmail User
Staff with A5 (Regular, Non-Union)	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	250 Gigabyte Cap	Deleted Items purged after 90 days All items purged after 7 years
Staff with A1 (Temp or Union)	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	50 Gigabyte Cap (100 Gigabyte Service Limit)	Deleted Items purged after 90 days All items purged after 7 years
Affiliate	Chat messages delete after 30 days Channel posts unaffected	50 Gigabyte Cap (100 Gigabyte Service Limit)	Deleted Items purged after 90 days All items purged after 7 years
Shared Exchange Mailbox	N/A	N/A	Deleted Items purged after 90 days All items purged after 7 years

Upcoming Changes

On April 14, 2025, all emails older than seven years will be purged from Microsoft Exchange/Outlook. This will apply to all folders within the mailbox, including online archives.

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Collaboration Tools Retention FAQs

Updates to Vanderbilt IT storage and retention policies will affect users of Microsoft services

Key Changes

Microsoft Teams Chat Retention

OneDrive Storage Limits

Microsoft Exchange/Outlook Email Changes

Frequently Asked Questions on Storage Retention

Microsoft Teams Chat Retention

OneDrive Storage Limits

Microsoft Exchange/Outlook Email Changes

User Impact Details

Upcoming Changes

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