
How to Set Up a Preservation Hold in SharePoint Online
Preserve SharePoint Data with Microsoft Purview Retention Policies
Learn how to set up a Preservation Hold in SharePoint Online using Microsoft Purview to retain and protect critical business data.
How to Create a Preservation Hold on SharePoint Document Libraries Using Microsoft Purview
In today’s data-driven world, protecting and retaining critical business information is essential for maintaining compliance and governance. Whether you’re ensuring your organization meets regulatory requirements or preserving important documents for business continuity, implementing a Preservation Hold on SharePoint document libraries is a crucial step.
With Microsoft Purview (formerly Microsoft 365 Compliance Center), you can easily set up a Retention Policy that preserves files—even if they’re edited or deleted—throughout the specified retention period. This ensures that no vital data is lost, while also giving you control over its lifecycle.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through how to create a Preservation Hold in Microsoft Purview for your SharePoint Online document libraries. We’ll also explain how to choose the correct policy settings, apply the policy to the right sites, and verify that your documents are retained as intended.
What is a Preservation Hold, and Why is It Important?
In any organization, ensuring that critical business information is retained and protected is vital for compliance, security, and operational continuity. A Preservation Hold, implemented through Microsoft Purview, allows you to retain content in SharePoint and Microsoft 365 even if it is deleted or modified by users. This ensures that important data is preserved for a specific period, preventing accidental or intentional data loss.
For organizations subject to regulatory compliance or legal obligations, retention policies provide peace of mind by guaranteeing that key documents remain accessible for audits, legal discovery, and investigations. Even if a file is deleted from the user interface, it is still retained in the Preservation Hold Library, allowing administrators to recover it if necessary.
Whether you are managing company policies, contracts, or sensitive business documents, setting up a Preservation Hold can help mitigate risks while ensuring compliance with industry regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX.
Step by Step Guide to setting up Preservation Hold for SharePoint Online.
Step 1: Access Microsoft Purview
To begin setting up a Preservation Hold, navigate to the Microsoft Purview portal. You can access it directly by visiting Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal. (https://compliance.microsoft.com)
This portal serves as the central hub for managing compliance and data retention across Microsoft 365 services.
Step 2: Navigate to Retention Policies
Once inside the Microsoft Purview portal, navigate to Data Lifecycle Management from the left-hand menu and select Retention policies. This is where you can create and manage policies for retaining and protecting your organization’s data.
To create a new policy, click on + New retention policy.
Step 3: Create a New Retention Policy
To set up a Preservation Hold, click on + New retention policy. This will open a guided wizard where you can define the policy’s name, scope, and retention settings.
This policy will allow you to specify which SharePoint sites and content should be preserved for a specific duration, even if users modify or delete files.
Step 4: Name and Describe Your Retention Policy
In this step, provide a meaningful name and description for your retention policy. The Name should be short and descriptive (e.g., retentionpolicy5years
), while the Description should explain the purpose and scope of the policy. This helps other admins understand its function later.
In this example, we’re setting a policy to preserve content in specific SharePoint sites for 5 years. During this period, documents will be retained even if they are edited or deleted.
Step 5: Choose the Type of Retention Policy
In this step, select the type of retention policy you want to create. There are two options:
- Adaptive (Requires Microsoft 365 E5 License or Equivalent) – This option uses dynamic attributes to apply the policy automatically to content based on defined criteria.
- Static (Recommended for most users) – This option lets you manually choose the specific locations (like SharePoint sites) where the policy will be applied. If new locations are added after the policy is created, you will need to update it manually.
Since we’re focusing on a static policy for specific SharePoint sites, choose Static and click Next to continue.
Step 6: Choose Where to Apply the Policy
In this step, you can select the specific Microsoft 365 services and locations where the retention policy should be applied. You’ll see several options such as Exchange mailboxes, SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, and Microsoft 365 Groups.
For a Preservation Hold on SharePoint document libraries within Microsoft 365 group-connected sites, toggle Microsoft 365 Group mailboxes & sites to On.
Tip:
- If you want to apply the policy to classic or standalone SharePoint sites, use the SharePoint classic and communication sites option instead.
- Be sure to Edit the included sites/groups to fine-tune the policy’s scope.
Step 7: Select Specific Microsoft 365 Group Sites
After enabling Microsoft 365 Group mailboxes & sites, you’ll be prompted to select the specific groups to include in your policy. This ensures that the retention policy applies only to the relevant SharePoint sites connected to these groups.
- Scroll through the list of available groups.
- Use the Search box to quickly find specific groups by name.
- Check the boxes next to the groups you want to include.
- Click Done once you’ve made your selection.
Tip:
- Carefully select only the necessary groups to avoid applying the policy too broadly.
- You can always edit the policy later to add or remove groups.
Step 8: Configure Retention Settings
In this step, decide how long content should be retained and what action to take at the end of the retention period.
Retention Duration:
Choose Retain items for a specific period and set the duration to 5 years. This ensures that all selected content is preserved for this timeframe, even if users modify or delete it.
Start Retention Period Based On:
Set the retention period to begin When items were created. This means the countdown for retention starts from the item’s creation date.
At the End of the Retention Period:
- Delete items automatically: This option will permanently delete the items once the retention period expires.
- Do nothing: The items will no longer be subject to the retention policy, but they won’t be deleted automatically.
Alternative Options:
- Retain items forever: For permanent preservation.
- Only delete items when they reach a certain age: No retention, only scheduled deletion.
In this example, we’re keeping it simple by retaining items for 5 years and deleting them automatically afterward.
Step 9: Review and Submit the Policy
This is the final step, where you review the details of your retention policy before submitting it.
- Policy Name: Ensure it accurately reflects the purpose (e.g.,
preservationhold5years
). - Description: Confirm that the description clearly explains the policy’s intent.
- Locations to Apply: Verify that the correct Microsoft 365 groups or SharePoint sites have been selected.
- Retention Settings: Double-check the retention duration and what happens at the end of the retention period. In this case:
- Retain items for 5 years from their creation date.
- Delete items automatically at the end of the retention period.
Warning: Items older than 5 years will be permanently deleted once this policy is active. Be cautious if there are important historical items you want to preserve.
- Click Submit to activate the policy. It might take up to a week for the policy to fully apply to all locations.
Step 10: Success! Your Retention Policy is Created
Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your retention policy. It may take up to a week for the policy to be fully applied to the selected locations.
At this point, your policy is active, and any specified content in Microsoft 365 Group sites will be retained for 5 years, with automatic deletion at the end of the retention period.
Next Steps:
- Monitor the policy to ensure it applies correctly.
- Consider exploring adaptive scopes if your organization’s needs change frequently or if you want to manage retention policies dynamically.
Setting up a Preservation Hold using Microsoft Purview ensures your organization’s critical content is protected and compliant with regulatory standards. With the step-by-step guide outlined here, you can confidently manage your SharePoint data lifecycle and retention policies. Keep your data safe and your organization compliant!
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