Retention & Purge
Automatically manage the lifecycle of conversations in your workspace — keeping inboxes clean and supporting your data retention requirements.
Note: This feature is available to workspace admins only. To access Retention & Purge, go to Workspace Settings → Purge.
How it works
Every conversation follows a predictable lifecycle:
Active → Rule matches (or moved to Deleted folder) → Purge queue → Grace period (30 days) → Permanently deleted
Exception: Bot chats are deleted immediately after the retention period ends, with no grace period.
At any point during the grace period, an admin can cancel or exempt a conversation from deletion via Upcoming Purges.
Key concepts
Retention period
How long a conversation can remain unmodified before being queued for deletion. The clock starts from the last modified date, not the date the conversation was created.
Grace period
Time between being queued and permanently deleted (workspace default: 30 days)
Purge queue
List of conversations scheduled for deletion
Exemption
Permanent protection from deletion — overrides all rules
What admins can control
Define retention rules for Shared Inboxes and Bot Chats
Review and cancel upcoming deletions before the grace period ends
Exempt individual conversations from ever being deleted
Enable auto-purge for conversations moved to the Deleted folder
Getting started
Enable purging in Workspace Settings → Purge
Create a rule — set the scope and retention period
Review upcoming deletions regularly in Upcoming Purges
Start conservative — longer retention periods give you more time to catch mistakes.
Permanent deletion cannot be undone. Once a conversation is purged, it cannot be recovered. Always review Upcoming Purges before grace periods expire.
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