Change the retention period of deleted items in Exchange Online

A retention policy can help to,

• Retain mailbox content so that it cannot be permanently deleted before the end of the retention period.
• Delete mailbox content permanently at the end of the retention period.

Microsoft 365 admin center does not provide an option to modify the retention period. Technicians have to rely on PowerShell scripts to modify it. On the other hand, M365 Manager Plus' bulk mailbox management feature allows you to configure retention policy and retention hold period for multiple mailboxes in one go.

Steps to change retention period with M365 Manager Plus

1. Go to the Management tab.
2. Navigate to Exchange Online > Mailbox Management in the left pane.
3. Under Exchange Configurations click on Configure Mailbox Retention Policy.
4. Select the Retention Policy, URL that gives additional information on the policy to be applied.
5. In the Retain deleted items for (in days) field, provide a new retention period.

   

6. In the Find Mailboxes to Modify section, select the Microsoft 365 tenant and the mailboxes.
7. Click on Apply.

Read this article to learn how to place mailboxes on retention hold. In M365 Manager Plus, there is no restriction on the number of mailboxes that can be managed at a time. Read more about the management features of M365 Manager Plus, here.