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Where to Find Retention Policies in the New Exchange Admin Center
Question details
The user is trying to locate Exchange Online retention policies, which are no longer available in the new Exchange admin center.
- Product
- Microsoft Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An IT administrator needs to manage messaging records management (MRM) and email retention policies for their organization.
- Observed behavior
- Retention policy management has been migrated out of the standard Exchange admin center and must now be accessed through Microsoft Purview.
Ensure you are logged in to Microsoft 365 with an account that has Global Administrator, Compliance Administrator, or Organization Management privileges to access data lifecycle settings.
Access MRM Retention Policies via Microsoft Purview
Since Microsoft consolidated its compliance tools, you must use the Microsoft Purview portal to manage your legacy Exchange retention policies.
Microsoft has transitioned data governance and compliance features to a centralized location. MRM (Messaging Records Management) retention tags and policies are now exclusively housed within the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.
Navigate to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal (compliance.microsoft.com) and sign in using your admin credentials.
On the left navigation pane, scroll down and select 'Data lifecycle management' to expand its options.
From the expanded menu, click on 'Exchange (legacy)'.
Click on 'MRM Retention policies' or 'MRM Retention tags' to view, create, and manage the policies applied to your organization's mailboxes.
Navigate via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
If you do not have the direct URL for Microsoft Purview, you can route through the standard Microsoft 365 admin center.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why were retention policies removed from the new Exchange Admin Center?
Microsoft removed these settings from the Exchange Admin Center to consolidate all data governance, risk, and compliance tools into a single, unified administrative hub known as Microsoft Purview.
Are legacy MRM retention policies still effective in Microsoft 365?
Yes, Messaging Records Management (MRM) retention policies are still fully supported and effective for managing mailbox items, such as automatically moving items to the archive mailbox or deleting old emails.
I don't see the 'Data lifecycle management' option. What should I do?
If the option is missing in Microsoft Purview, it means your account lacks the required permissions. You need to contact your Global Administrator to assign you the Compliance Administrator or Organization Management role.
