Create a Customized Policy for Archiving Emails for your Company's Mailboxes.

When a new user is provisioned with an Exchange Online license, a mailbox is automatically created and assigned the Default MRM Policy. This policy includes a Default Policy Tag (DPT) that moves mailbox items to the archive after 2 years, provided the Online Archive is enabled.

If you wish to modify this behavior or example, to archive items after 6 months you can create a custom retention tag and policy. This process requires Global Administrator privileges.

To carry out the actions described in this article, you must be a global administrator in your company.

The process is comprised of a total of 3 parts.

• Creating a Retention Tag.
• Using that Tag Creating a Retention Label.
• Applying the Lable to User.

Step 1: Create a Custom Retention Tag

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal using your Global Admin credentials:
   https://compliance.microsoft.com
2. Navigate to:
   Solutions → Data lifecycle management → Exchange (legacy) → MRM Retention tags
3. Click New Tag to create a custom retention tag.
4. Provide a name and description for the tag.
5. On the Define how the tag will be applied page, select:
   Automatically to entire mailbox (default)
6. On the Define retention settings page:
   • Set the retention period (e.g., 180 days for 6 months).
   • Choose the retention action: Move item to archive
7. Click Next, review the configuration, and click Submit.

Step 2: Create a Retention Policy Using the Tag

1. In the same portal, go to MRM Retention policies.
2. Click New Policy.
3. Enter a name and description for the policy.
4. Click + Add Tag and select the custom tag you created.
5. Review the policy settings and click Submit.

Step 3: Apply the Retention Policy to a User Mailbox

1. Open the Exchange Admin Center:
   https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com
2. Navigate to:
   Recipients → Mailboxes
3. Select the user mailbox and open its properties.
4. Under Mailbox settings, locate the Retention policy section.
5. Click Manage mailbox policies.
6. From the dropdown, select the custom retention policy you created.
7. Click Save to apply the policy.