As part of your Google Workspace data eDiscovery projects, you can use holds to preserve Gemini app messages indefinitely to meet legal or preservation obligations. You can apply a hold to individual accounts or all accounts in an organizational unit. Holds override retention rules, so Gemini messages on hold are protected from your normal data governance rules that might purge it otherwise.
If your Google Workspace administrator removes a user's Vault-supporting license, a hold no longer protects the user's Gemini messages from deletion. Messages marked for deletion can be immediately purged and can't be restored. Learn more about Preserving data for users.
Important information about Gemini app holds
Before you set holds, we strongly recommend you read Get started with holds in Google Vault and review Gemini app messages supported in Vault.
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How data is put on hold- Admin settings—You can use the Gemini conversation history setting in the Admin console to decide whether Gemini app conversations are saved and for how long before they’re automatically deleted. However conversations are saved, admins can retain, hold, search, and export Gemini app conversations with Vault. For details on managing Gemini conversation history, go to Manage Gemini conversation history.
- User settings—Regardless of whether a user's action or setting causes the deletion of Gemini app conversations, admins can retain, hold, search, and export Gemini app conversations with Vault. For details on managing Gemini Apps activity, go to Manage Gemini Apps activity.
- Vault retention rules and holds—You can set custom or default retention rules to keep Gemini app conversations (comprising user prompts and Gemini app responses) for specific periods or indefinitely. You can also set a hold on user’s data.
Vault retention rules and holds, if active, take precedence over Admin console (such as Gemini conversation history setting) or user settings. Any Admin console setting or user setting will only hide conversations from users’ view where there is a retention rule or hold in place.
When Gemini app messages that are on hold are deleted by a user or an admin history setting, the user can't access the messages anymore, but the messages are not purged. As a Vault admin with appropriate privileges, you can still search for and export the messages.
Place a hold on Gemini app messages
- Sign in to vault.google.com.
- If you have created a matter, click Matters
your matter.
Otherwise, create a matter. For details, go to Create and manage matters.
- Click Holds
- Click Choose service
- Select the scope of the hold:
- Specific accounts—Enter one or more account or group email addresses.
- Organizational unit—Select an organizational unit.
Important: We strongly recommend that you don't select the top organizational unit. If you do, you won't be able to delete any Google Workspace accounts from your organization. For details, go to Why shouldn't I set a hold on the top organizational unit?
- Click Create.
Edit a hold
You can change some hold parameters, but you can't change the service or the scope type. For example, you can't change Gemini app to another service or change accounts to an organizational unit.
- Sign in to vault.google.com.
- Click Matters
- Click Holds
- Click Scope, then add or remove accounts or change the organizational unit.
- Click Save.
Delete a hold
Important: When you delete a hold, the normal retention policies apply immediately. Vault deletes content that is past the retention rule expiration date in the next deletion cycle.
- Sign in to vault.google.com.
- Click Matters
- Click Holds.
- Point to the hold name and click Delete