Microsoft 365 Retention Policy Licensing for F1, F3, E1, and E3
Question details
Determine how Microsoft 365 retention policy licensing and location scope apply to users with F1, F3, E1, and E3 plans.
- Product
- Microsoft Purview and Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator wants to retain content in SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Microsoft 365 groups used by people with different licenses.
- Observed behavior
- The administrator needs to identify eligible users and understand how tenant-wide policies affect personal and shared locations.
List the exact licenses assigned to affected users and identify the locations and retention features you intend to use. Check the current Microsoft Purview licensing documentation for those plans, including any required add-ons.
Review licensing and scope the retention policy by location
Use this approach before applying a policy to users and shared locations with mixed licenses.
Licensing requirements depend on the specific retention capability, plan, and users benefiting from the policy. A policy's ability to target a location does not by itself establish that its use is licensed.
Tenant-wide policies can affect all supported locations selected in the policy. A shared SharePoint site or Microsoft 365 group is scoped as a location, not separately for each member's license. Teams messages and files can also reside in different locations, so review each workload separately.
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, open Users > Active users and review the licenses assigned to affected users. Compare the exact plans and retention features with current Microsoft Purview licensing documentation, or ask your Microsoft licensing representative.
In the Microsoft Purview portal, open Data Lifecycle Management > Microsoft 365 > Retention policies. Select an existing policy to edit it, or choose New retention policy.
On the policy's locations page, review the SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, Teams locations, and Microsoft 365 groups selected. Check shared sites and groups separately from individual users' OneDrive accounts.
Where the location settings offer Exclude, select the accounts, sites, or groups that should not be covered. Review the resulting scope manually; the policy does not automatically select only users with eligible licenses.
Save the policy and review its selected locations and retention settings in Retention policies. Allow time for the policy to be distributed before checking its effects.
Find retained SharePoint files in the Preservation Hold Library
Use this check when investigating deleted or modified files retained on a SharePoint site.
Work with Office files using WPS Office
WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative with a familiar interface and Microsoft Office format compatibility, making it easy to move everyday document work. Microsoft Purview retention licensing and policies must still be managed with Microsoft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply a tenant-wide retention policy to F1, F3, E1, and E3 users?
A policy can target supported locations across the tenant, but technical scope alone does not establish licensing eligibility. Check the current Microsoft Purview licensing terms for the exact plans and retention features, and consult Microsoft if the shared-location licensing requirements are unclear.
Can a retention policy automatically include only licensed users?
Do not assume the policy will filter users by license. In Microsoft Purview, review the policy's location settings and use supported inclusions or exclusions to define the intended scope.
How does retention work for a SharePoint site used by people with different licenses?
A SharePoint retention policy targets the site as a location rather than applying separate settings for each member's license. Review the site's users and current licensing requirements before including it.
Does a Teams retention policy also retain files shared in a team?
Teams messages and shared files can be stored in different locations. Review the Teams policy location for messages and the relevant SharePoint or OneDrive location for files.
Where can an administrator find files retained after deletion?
For SharePoint files, open the affected site's Settings > Site contents and look for the Preservation Hold Library. The library's availability and visibility depend on retention activity and permissions.
