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Most Exchange admins learn about retention policy gaps the hard way—usually when the legal team comes knocking asking for emails from someone who left six months ago, and you discover their mailbox never had a retention policy assigned.

The thing about retention policies is that setting them up is the easy part. The tricky bit is making sure they're actually applied to everyone who needs them and catching the mailboxes that somehow got missed. New hires, department transfers, temporary accounts, there are plenty of ways for users to end up without proper policy coverage.

These reports from Exchange Reporter Plus let you see your complete retention landscape: What policies you have running, how many mailboxes each one covers, which users are assigned to what policies, the specific details of each policy setup, and the mailboxes that are sitting there without any protection.

Retention policies

This report provides an overview of all retention policies applied within your Exchange environment. It displays details such as the creation date, the last modification date, and the canonical name of each retention policy. This report helps you track the life cycle of retention policies, ensuring that policies are up to date. By reviewing this report, you can make informed decisions about policy modifications.

The retention policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of applied retention policies.
The retention policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of applied retention policies.

No. of mailboxes with policies

This report provides an overview of how many mailboxes are associated with each retention policy. It displays the policy name alongside the number of mailboxes that fall under each retention policy. Additionally, a bar graph visually represents this data, making it easy to compare the distribution of mailboxes across different policies. This report helps you ensure that retention policies have been properly applied across the various mailboxes in your organization.

The no. of mailboxes with policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of retention policies and the number of mailboxes associated with each.
The no. of mailboxes with policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of retention policies and the number of mailboxes associated with each.

Mailboxes with policies

This report lists all mailboxes that have that particular retention policy applied. This provides administrators with a clear view of which mailboxes are governed by a specific policy, making it easier to ensure compliance with retention guidelines across the organization.

The mailboxes with policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of mailboxes assigned to a selected retention policy.
The mailboxes with policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying a list of mailboxes assigned to a selected retention policy.

Retention policies details

This report provides a detailed list of all configuration names under that retention policy, including details such as the setting name, creation date, last modification date, expiry action, and expiry age limit. This report gives administrators a comprehensive view of the configuration settings within each policy, making it easier to ensure that retention guidelines are properly implemented.

The retention policies details report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying the configuration details for a selected retention policy.
The retention policies details report in Exchange Reporter Plus, displaying the configuration details for a selected retention policy.

Mailboxes without retention policies

This report lists all mailboxes that do not have any retention policies applied. It provides details such as the mailbox name, associated email ID, mailbox database name, and the server on which the mailbox is located. This report helps instantly identify those mailboxes that are not governed by retention policies, allowing you to take necessary actions to apply appropriate policies and ensure compliance.

The mailboxes without retention policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, showing a list of mailboxes without any retention policies applied.
The mailboxes without retention policies report in Exchange Reporter Plus, showing a list of mailboxes without any retention policies applied.

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Mailbox content reports

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Frequently asked questions

You can use the No. of mailboxes with policies report to get an overview of how many mailboxes are associated with each retention policy. This report shows the number of mailboxes under each policy and includes a visual bar graph for easy comparison, helping you track the application of retention policies across your organization.

Yes, Exchange Reporter allows you to export the retention policy reports in a variety of formats that can be emailed or shown directly to the auditing team.

The mailboxes with policies report lets you view all mailboxes associated with a specific retention policy. By selecting a retention policy, this report lists the mailboxes under that policy, helping you ensure that the correct policies are applied to the appropriate mailboxes.

Use the mailboxes without retention policies report to identify mailboxes that do not have retention policies applied. This report lists all such mailboxes along with details such as the mailbox name, associated email ID, and mailbox database, helping you quickly pinpoint and apply the appropriate retention policies to those mailboxes.

The retention policies details report allows you to select a specific retention policy and view detailed information about its configuration. This includes the setting name, creation date, last modification date, expiry action, and expiry age limit. Reviewing this report ensures that the retention policies are configured correctly according to organizational guidelines.

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