Permissions Required to Move or Delete Emails in Microsoft Defender Explorer
Question details
The user needs to identify the specific Microsoft Purview and Exchange roles required to search for, move, or permanently delete email messages within Microsoft Defender Explorer.
- Product
- Microsoft Defender / Microsoft Purview
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator is attempting to manage email compliance, which includes searching, moving, or permanently deleting emails, and needs to know which roles to assign.
- Observed behavior
- The correct role assignments are required to successfully perform eDiscovery, execute content searches, and authorize email purging actions.
Ensure you have Global Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant to access the Microsoft Purview compliance portal and assign these administrative roles.
Assign Roles to Search and Export Email Content
To search for emails in Defender Explorer without modifying them, users must be assigned specific discovery roles.
Before any emails can be moved or deleted, administrators or compliance officers must first locate the messages using content searches. This requires a specific set of read and search permissions.
Log in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal using your administrative credentials.
In the left navigation pane, select 'Roles & scopes', and then click on 'Permissions'.
Select the 'eDiscovery Manager' role group or the 'Compliance Search' role, and add the required users to grant them the ability to create and run content searches.
Assign the Search and Purge Role for Deleting Emails
To actively delete or move messages from mailboxes, the Search And Purge role is strictly required.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Exchange Online and Compliance Portal Organization Management roles the same?
No, they are separate role groups with different sets of permissions. Assigning a user to Organization Management in Exchange Online does not automatically grant them Organization Management rights in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.
Can a user with only the Compliance Search role delete emails?
No, the Compliance Search role only allows users to create, run, and manage content searches. To actually delete or move the emails found in a search, the user must specifically be assigned the Search And Purge role.
Where exactly do I assign the Search and Purge role?
The Search and Purge role is assigned within the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. You can find it by navigating to the 'Roles & scopes' section, selecting 'Permissions', and then modifying the appropriate role groups.
