Retention Policy
All messages in Microsoft Teams, whether in a Team, individual, or group chat, are automatically deleted after one year. Any communication that needs to be retained for longer than one year should be conducted via email or documented formally in a file or system designed for long-term storage.
Files in Teams are stored in either OneDrive or SharePoint, depending on how they are created and shared, and are not impacted by the deletion of chat messages.
How to Copy and Paste from Microsoft Teams
While Teams does not currently offer a built-in export option for chats or messages, users can manually copy and paste content as needed.
Note: The Office of Information Technology acknowledges that this method is not ideal for saving large volumes of messages at once. Microsoft does not currently offer a function for mass exporting messages.
- Open Microsoft Teams and navigate to the chat or message you want to copy.
- Highlight the desired text using your mouse or keyboard.
- Right-click the highlighted text and select Copy, or press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac).
- Open the destination application (e.g., Word, Email, Notepad).
- Right-click and select Paste, or press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) to paste the copied content.