Files shared as attachments in Teams chats can be found in your OneDrive.
Please look in your OneDrive under the “My Files” section for a folder called “Microsoft Teams Chat Files.”
There are three scenarios you may encounter when the policy is implemented.
1. Chat messages that are 30 days or older:
These messages will be immediately deleted following Microsoft’s scheduled deletion job schedule.
2. Chat messages that are less than 30 days old:
Any chat message less than 30 days old and X days old will remain visible for 30 – X days until it is deleted. For example, if a message is five days old when the policy is implemented, the message will remain visible for another 25 days.
3. Net new messages created after the policy is implemented on September 16:
Any message created after the policy is implemented will have 30 days until it is deleted.
Please note that Teams Chat deleted by a retention policy is gone permanently and cannot be recovered. Everyone across the tenant will be subject to the retention policy.
This policy impacts any conversation outside of a channel or team created by any user including faculty, staff, librarians and students.
Please note that Teams Chat deleted by a retention policy is gone permanently and cannot be recovered. Everyone across the tenant will be subject to the retention policy.
Microsoft Teams has become highly popular over the past several years and has changed the way we work. While it seems communication has become seamless, there are several factors that make keeping chat histories indefinitely problematic, including:
Operational efficiency
A retention policy will create standards for the university regarding communications and will facilitate more streamlined processes. If a retention policy is in place, users will understand that communications related to specific subject matters (e.g., project-related) should be stored in an appropriate platform where relevant information can be easily accessed. This approach avoids the need to sift through extensive chat history containing unrelated content and potentially outdated information.
Security and risk mitigation
A retention policy on Teams chat history will reduce the exposure of potentially sensitive information and unauthorized access. These risks could potentially lead to legal liabilities.
Compliance and legal considerations
Retaining individual chat history indefinitely creates legal risks and can potentially leave the university open to a variety of legal challenges.
Please note that Teams Chat deleted by a retention policy is gone permanently and cannot be recovered. Everyone across the tenant will be subject to the retention policy.
There are four categories of accounts impacted by this project:
Unknown Account Status
These accounts do not meet the eligibility criteria for a U of T email account based on the Division of People Strategy, Equity and Culture (PSEC) Guideline Email Accounts for University of Toronto Staff, Faculty and Librarians.
Alumni Accounts
These accounts belong to recent graduates who are U of T alumni. They will be offered the opportunity to opt into the new alumni email service.
Legacy Forwarded Accounts
These addresses were part of the UTORmail email system but are now fully decommissioned. The address itself is still active, however, as it is used to automatically forward emails to another account. Users will receive notifications about the end of @utoronto.ca forwarding service – after the 90-day period, messages will be returned to the sender.
Shared Mailbox Accounts
These accounts will be assessed by departments for ongoing service or account closure.
The University of Toronto provides email service to active faculty, librarians, staff, students and alumni. More details can be found in the Guideline: Email Accounts for University of Toronto Staff, Faculty and Librarians.
