On May 1st, 2025 retention policies for 1:1 direct messages in Google Chat will change.
Before May 1st, the retention policy for 1:1 direct messages (1:1 DMs) with external participants could be controlled by both organizations. This means that each organization’s retention policies would affect how much history their users see in the 1:1 DM. This is different from the way space conversations are handled, where only the creator’s organization’s retention policy would affect those conversations.
Starting May 1st, 1:1 direct messages will begin moving to only respect the retention rules of the creating organization.
This change does not impact your ability to apply retention policies, or the ability to access conversations in Google Vault for users with Vault policies applied.
Timeline of Events
Starting May 1, 2025 all new 1:1 direct messages with external users will follow the retention policy of the creator.
Starting June 2, 2025 existing 1:1 direct messages with external users will migrate to respect the retention policy of the creator.
By August 1, 2025 we anticipate the migration process will be complete for all 1:1 direct messages.
Until February 1, 2026 we will preserve impacted 1:1 direct messages in Google Vault or Data Export for 6 months past the end of the migration to allow organizations to download a copy of the data. However, any rules set to delete content will continue to be respected.
Note: As an admin, if you want to keep a copy of all messages users in your organization have with external users, we recommend having an active Vault retention policy.
What can admins do ahead of the data migration?
We recommend admins perform the following before the migration:
- Confirm your external Chat settings
- Prepare to answer questions from employees on chat retention policy
- Check your retention policies
- (Optional) Set up Vault for your organization
- (Optional) Get a copy of external conversations
- (Optional) Set up third-party archiving
Check your retention policies
Ensure you have set a Vault policy to retain data for the appropriate duration. If no Vault policy is configured, messages in some conversations you currently have access to may be deleted. To learn more, read Manage retention rules and holds.
(Optional) Set up Vault for your organization
If you want to retain all messages sent by your organization and don’t have an active Vault license, follow the instructions on Vault licensing, and then Set up Vault for your organization.
(Optional) In August, get a copy of external conversations
To receive a copy of external conversations potentially impacted by this migration:
- Perform a Vault export using the search operator
is:externalmanaged. This operator will only return 1:1 DMs managed by another organization. Please export this data after August 1, 2025. - Request a Data Export for your domain. If you’d like to request this export, please do so after August 1, 2025.
(Optional) Set up third-party archiving
If you want to retain all Chat data, but do not have Vault, you can set up third-party archiving.
Direct message retention changes FAQ
How is retention policy application determined for 1:1 direct messages after this change?
Whoever created an external 1:1 direct message will have their retention policy applied for both users in the conversation. For example, if an external user created a 1:1 direct message with you 2 years ago, they (or their organization) will have their retention policy applied. The creator can not change even if the conversation is deleted.
Will users and admins know the retention policy of a 1:1 direct message conversation they’re in?
No, for privacy reasons, we are not able to show the retention policy of a conversation. However, all conversations will show text that indicates who started the conversation, and by extension, whose policy applies to it.
Does the creator change after all messages are deleted by a retention policy, and a user sends a new message?
No, the policy is established the first time a user creates a conversation with another user. It can not be changed after that. Chat will indicate to both users which person started the 1:1 direct message at the top of the conversation.
Can I or users in my organization choose which 1:1 direct messages use my retention policy and which use another organization’s?
No.
Will retention policies be applied to individual users based on their separate organization’s policies or to both users based on the originator’s policy?
After this change, for external conversations, the retention policy of the creator is applied to all the messages in the conversation. Messages will be deleted once they pass the retention policy configured for the creator.
As an admin, is there anything changing my access to 1:1 direct messages in Vault?
If admins have a Vault policy applied to all users within their organization, there will be no reduction in visibility of their users' messages. There are some cases where there will be an increase in messages that are available in Vault. This can happen if the creator has a longer retention policy than anyone else in the conversation. To ensure admins for non-creators can get access to messages that their user can see, those messages will be in Vault, even if a policy is configured to delete them.
As an admin, is there anything changing what 1:1 direct messages I can access through Data Export?
If you have Vault, and have a Vault policy applied to all users, there will be no impact to the ability to download 1:1 direct messages through Data Export. If you do not have Vault or do not have a policy applied to all conversations, it is possible that some conversations that were previously available in Data Export will become unavailable at some point. We will preserve all data for 6 months after the migration for organizations that would like to perform a Data Export. However, any rules set to delete content will continue to be respected.
Will there be any impact on 1:1 direct messages between two users within my organization?
In the event that two users within the same organization have conflicting retention policies, we respect those policies separately for each user in Chat and Vault. Once the migration happens, we will respect the longer of the two retention policies. If one user has a custom retention rule while the other has a default retention rule, the custom rule will take precedence for both users.
If an auto-deletion policy applies to one user, that policy will delete messages for both users in Chat. If both users have an auto deletion policy, the shorter of the two policies will be followed for both users. Even if messages are deleted from Chat, they will continue to be retained in Vault in accordance with the configured retention policy.
Will this change have any impact on legal holds?
No.
Will this change have any impact on data regions?
No.
Can I apply a retention or auto-deletion policy to a 1:1 direct message created by another organization?
After this migration, Chat will only respect the policy set by the creator. However, for data in Vault, policies will continue to be respected regardless of who created the conversation.
Will end user takeout be impacted?
End user takeout will continue to export any messages a user can see in the Chat user interface, however it will temporarily include any messages impacted by this migration until February 1, 2026.
What are some examples of how retention worked before and after this change?
Example of how retention policies work before the change: User A from company A has a 3 month retention policy, user B from company B has a 6 month retention policy. A message is sent between user A and user B. In Chat, user A will no longer see the conversation after 3 months, while user B won’t see the conversation until 6 months have passed. In Vault, the admins for each organization will no longer be able to see the conversations based on their set policy (3 or 6 months*).
Example of how retention policies work after the migration: User A from company A (the creator) has a 3 month retention policy, user B from company B has a 6 month retention policy. In Chat, after 3 months, neither user will see the conversation. This is because the retention policy of the creator (User A) determines the visibility of the conversation in Chat. This is different for Vault, where the Vault admin will have visibility into the conversation according to their retention policy. For instance, the admin for company A has a retention policy of 3 months, while company B’s admin has a longer policy of 6 months. Each admin will see the conversation in Vault for their selected retention policy*.
Example of how retention policies work after the migration: User A from company A has a 3 month retention policy, user B from company B (the creator) has a 6 month retention policy. Similar to the example above, both users will maintain visibility on the conversation for 6 months, since the creator’s retention policy is followed in Chat. For admins in Vault, both companies will see conversations for 6* months. Company A’s visibility is extended to ensure they are able to get access to messages their user can see.
*Note: Vault also has a 30 day deletion period after a retention policy expires before messages are deleted
