Beginning July 1, 2027, the agency will make a significant change regarding how long information is kept in Google Workspace. This will help to protect agency data and strengthen security.
The biggest change for most staff will be that emails will be automatically and permanently deleted after five years. Once deleted under this policy, these messages cannot be recovered.
In addition, information will be kept for five years and then automatically deleted in Gmail and other Google Workspace apps, such as Google Chat and Google Calendar. Google Drive will be excluded from this rule. As an example, an email from June 2022 will be more than five years old when the policy takes effect and will be subject to permanent deletion, even if you’ve archived it or added a label. If still needed, staff will need to save a copy to Google Drive before July 1, 2027.
Files supporting active projects in Google Drive, including your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files, will continue to be kept indefinitely. Files moved to the Trash will be permanently deleted after five years.
What should you do?
Before July 1, 2027, set aside time to review your emails and files. Save any important emails you need to keep longer than five years to Google Drive. Simply leaving an email in your inbox, archiving it or adding a label will not protect it from automatic deletion.
How to save emails to Google Drive
Questions about these changes or how to save an important email? Review the How to Save an Email to Google Drive for Long-Term Storage directions to get started.
Need more assistance? Reach out to the CRAEA Help Desk (or call 319-273-8231). Thank you for helping keep our agency’s information secure and organized!
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