Set a custom time period for messages to automatically be deleted in Google Chat

You can control if and when messages sent through Google Chat are deleted automatically with Chat auto-deletion settings.

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• This feature only applies to messages sent while conversation history is on.
• Messages made by users in your organization to external sources can be deleted on your network by this feature but will stay visible to external 1:1 direct messages, group messages, and spaces.
• Supported editions for this feature: Business Plus; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus.

Learn more about what's new in Google Workspace...

For select Google Workspace editions, admins can now define a duration after which their users' messages in Google Chat will be deleted automatically.

This can apply to messages in 1:1 conversations, group conversations, and spaces — time periods can be assigned for each message type.

Note that this retention period only applies to messages sent when history is enabled. The auto-deletion timeframe can range from 30 days to several years.

Currently, admins have limited control over the history duration of conversations in Google Chat: with history off, messages are deleted after 24 hours; with history on, messages remain visible for an indefinite time unless proactively deleted by Vault Retention policy or proactively deleted by a user by user.

This update gives admins more granular control over how long their users can see messages in conversations. For end-user practicality, this helps unclutter conversations, while complying with retention requirements (if a retention policy is applied). If you’re using the Auto Deletion policy combined with a Vault Retention Policy, the Vault policy prevails.

Admins:

• This feature will be OFF by default and can be configured at the OU level for 1:1 direct messages.
• Group messages and Spaces can be configured at the domain level.

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