How to Enable Online Archive for Old Emails in Microsoft 365
Question details
Administrators need to know how to enable archive mailboxes for Microsoft 365 users and automate the archiving process for older emails.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing user mailbox storage and maintaining data compliance by automatically archiving old Exchange Online messages.
- Observed behavior
- Administrators aim to set up retention policies that automatically move emails older than a certain timeframe to an archive mailbox.
Ensure you have Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator privileges before attempting to modify mailbox settings or retention policies in the Microsoft Purview portal.
Enable Archive Mailboxes and Assign Retention Policies
Use the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to turn on archive mailboxes for selected users and apply a policy to move older emails automatically.
By enabling an online archive, users gain additional mailbox storage space. Once enabled, you can use a retention policy to automatically move older Exchange Online messages to the archive mailbox without requiring users to move them manually.
Sign in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal using your administrator credentials.
Navigate to the Data lifecycle management section, select Exchange (legacy), select the specific users you want to configure, and enable their archive mailboxes.
Create a new retention policy that is configured to move messages older than your preferred timeframe (such as five years) to the archive mailbox.
Assign the newly created retention policy to the selected users' mailboxes to begin the automated archiving process.
To apply the policy immediately, open Exchange Online PowerShell and run the Managed Folder Assistant command for the affected mailboxes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for a new retention policy to apply in Microsoft 365?
By default, a new retention policy can take up to seven days to fully process and apply to the users' mailboxes. Administrators can speed up this process by manually triggering the Managed Folder Assistant via PowerShell.
Can end-users enable their own online archive in Microsoft 365?
No, enabling online archive mailboxes requires administrator privileges. Users must request their IT administrator to enable the feature through the Microsoft Purview compliance portal or the Exchange Admin Center.
What happens to emails after they are moved to the archive mailbox?
Once emails are moved to the online archive, they no longer consume storage space in the user's primary mailbox. However, the user can still access, search, and read these emails seamlessly from a separate 'In-Place Archive' folder within their Outlook application.
