How to Force a Retention Policy to Apply Immediately in Microsoft 365 Exchange Online.
If you want to force Exchange Online to immediately apply a retention policy you created (eg. to to force Online Archiving to start archiving), then continue reading this tutorial.
By default, when you create a retention policy and assign it to user mailboxes, you must wait 24 hours to 7 days for the message retention settings defined in the new policy to take effect. This is because the Managed Folder Assistant (MFA), which is the process that enforces retention policies, runs automatically every seven (7) days.
To override this behavior and force Managed Folder Assistant to immediately start processing and applying a new retention policy, follow the instructions below.
How to Start manually the Managed Folder Assistant (MFA in Exchange Online (Microsoft/Office 365).
1. To force the Managed Folder Assistant (MFA) to process immediately a new retention policy and start archiving, you must first connect to Exchange Online via PowerShell.
2. Once you are logged in, issue the command below to apply the new retention policy directly to the user mailbox you have assigned it to.*
- Start-ManagedFolderAssistant -Identity MailboxName
* For example: To force Managed Folder Assistant to process a new retention policy that you have assigned in mailbox "user22@yourdomain.com" and start archiving, give this command:
- Start-ManagedFolderAssistant -Identity user22@yourdomain.com
3. Once you apply the above PowerShell command, wait about 5 minutes, and then archiving will begin following the new retention policy settings.*
* Note: To check the archiving progress, use one of the following ways:
- Sign in to Outlook for the web (OWA) on the selected mailbox and check the contents of the 'In-Place Archive' folder in the left pane.
- Navigate to Exchange Online Admin Center > Recipients > Mailboxes, select the mailbox you have applied the new retention policy and in Others tab click Manage mailbox archive to see the Archive usage.
Start Managed Folder Assistant on All Mailboxes.
To force the Managed Folder Assistant to immediately process the retention policies on all mailboxes, and start the archiving, issue this command:
- Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails UserMailbox -ResultSize unlimited | ForEach {Start-ManagedFolderAssistant $_.Identity}
Additional Help.
1. Please note that it may take a few days to move mail, especially if archiving is done in very "large" mailboxes. (e.g. 30GB or more).
2. If after forcing archiving on a user's mailbox, archiving has not started after a while, then make sure that the correct retention policy is applied to that mailbox by issuing the following command:
- Get-Mailbox MailboxName | FL RetentionPolicy
* For example: To see which retention policy you have assigned to mailbox "user22@yourdomain.com", issue this command
- Get-Mailbox user22@yourdomain.com | FL RetentionPolicy
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the default time frame for a retention policy to take effect in Exchange Online?
By default, it takes 24 hours to 7 days for a new retention policy to take effect in Exchange Online.
How can I manually force the Managed Folder Assistant to apply a new retention policy?
You can force the Managed Folder Assistant to apply a new retention policy by connecting to Exchange Online via PowerShell and running the command: Start-ManagedFolderAssistant -Identity MailboxName.
Can I apply a retention policy to all mailboxes at once?
Yes, you can apply the retention policy to all mailboxes at once by using the command: Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails UserMailbox -ResultSize unlimited | ForEach {Start-ManagedFolderAssistant $_.Identity}.
What should I do if archiving does not start after applying a retention policy to a mailbox?
If archiving does not start, ensure the correct retention policy is applied by checking with the command: Get-Mailbox MailboxName | FL RetentionPolicy.
