Why Email Is Stored in DiscoveryHolds in Exchange Online
Question details
Users need to know why messages are being retained in the Recoverable Items\DiscoveryHolds folder and how to manage the settings responsible for this.
- Product
- Exchange Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Investigating mailbox storage consumption and identifying why certain deleted emails are permanently preserved on the server.
- Observed behavior
- Emails are unexpectedly stored in the Recoverable Items\DiscoveryHolds folder and cannot be permanently deleted due to backend compliance policies.
Ensure you have the necessary administrative privileges in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal and consult your organization's legal team to confirm that removing any holds complies with internal retention requirements.
Check Microsoft Purview for Active Holds
Identify if eDiscovery, litigation, or In-Place Holds are actively preserving the mailbox items.
The DiscoveryHolds folder is utilized by Exchange to store items that are protected by compliance policies. If a hold is active, purged items are moved here rather than being permanently deleted.
Log in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal using your global administrator or compliance administrator credentials.
Navigate to the eDiscovery and Information Governance sections to check for any active retention policies or holds currently applied to the affected mailbox.
Open the Exchange admin center and verify if any Litigation Holds or In-Place Holds are enabled on the specific user's mailbox properties.
If the hold is no longer legally required, carefully exclude the mailbox from the policy or toggle off the Litigation Hold setting.
Force Synchronization After Removing Holds
Apply the updated retention and hold settings immediately using PowerShell.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DiscoveryHolds folder in Exchange Online?
The DiscoveryHolds folder is a hidden subfolder within the Recoverable Items directory. Exchange Online uses it to store messages that are protected by compliance policies, such as eDiscovery or Litigation holds, ensuring they cannot be permanently deleted by the user.
Can I manually delete emails from the DiscoveryHolds folder?
No, administrators and users cannot manually purge items from the DiscoveryHolds folder. Items are only removed automatically by the Managed Folder Assistant after the applicable compliance hold is lifted or the required retention period expires.
Why do items still appear in DiscoveryHolds after removing a Litigation Hold?
If items remain after disabling a Litigation Hold, another overlapping policy is likely active. This could be a Microsoft Purview retention policy, an eDiscovery hold, an In-Place Hold, or a delay hold. All applicable holds must be removed before the items can be purged.
How long does it take for hold removals to take effect?
After you remove a hold policy in Microsoft Purview or Exchange Online, it typically takes about 60 minutes for the settings to fully synchronize. You can expedite the cleanup by running the Start-ManagedFolderAssistant PowerShell cmdlet after the synchronization period.
