How to Auto-Delete Email and Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts

Quick and easy-to-follow guide for Google Workspace administrators

You can specify a time frame within which all chats and emails will be auto-deleted.

Emails the auto-deletion setting doesn’t apply to

  • This setting doesn’t apply to emails in the Trash folder.
  • However, emails in the Trash get deleted automatically in 30 days by default, and there’s no way to change that.

How to enable email and chat auto-deletion in Google Workspace step-by-step with images

Step 1

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 1

In the Admin console at https://admin.google.com, click the Apps icon.

Step 2

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 2

Select Google Workspace.

Step 3

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 3

Click Gmail. Make sure not to check the box to the left; just click the service.

Step 4

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 4

Select Compliance.

Step 5

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 5

Under Organizational Units, select the OU with the users whose settings you want to update. The same updates will apply to all sub-OUs under the OU you choose.

By default, if you don’t select an OU, you will add your setting to the top OU, named after your domain. This way, you will apply changes to all users in your account.

You can search for an OU to find it faster if you have a large OU structure.

If you’re not familiar with OUs, click here.

Step 6

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 6

Find Email and chat auto-deletion and click it.

Step 7

How To Auto-Delete Email And Chat Messages From Google Workspace User Accounts - Step 7

Select Automatically delete email and chat messages older than X days.’ 

You can set it to anything over 30. If you try to make it less than 30, you will get an error.

Also, choose whether to move messages to the Trash or delete them permanently. 

Additionally, you may exclude messages in some labels from auto-deletion.

Click SAVE in the bottom right. It may take up to 24 hours before the changes kick in.

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