SharePoint site owners often see documents that should have been deleted but remain accessible. This happens because a retention hold is active on the site or library. A retention hold prevents permanent deletion of content that is subject to a Microsoft 365 retention policy or eDiscovery hold. This article explains how retention holds work in SharePoint, what site owners can and cannot do, and provides a practical checklist to manage content under hold.
Key Takeaways: Managing Retention Holds in SharePoint
- Microsoft Purview compliance portal > Retention policies: Shows which policies apply to a SharePoint site or library.
- SharePoint site settings > Information management policy settings: Lets site owners view the retention schedule for a library.
- SharePoint admin center > Active sites > Policies: Displays retention labels and holds applied to the site.
How Retention Holds Work in SharePoint
A retention hold is a lock placed on content that must be kept for legal, regulatory, or business reasons. In SharePoint, this hold is applied through Microsoft 365 retention policies or eDiscovery holds. When a hold is active, users can still edit, move, or copy documents. But no one can permanently delete the content from the site or from the recycle bin. Even site owners with full control permissions cannot bypass a retention hold.
The hold affects all items in the site or library where the policy is applied. This includes files, list items, and versions. When a user deletes a document that is under hold, SharePoint moves it to the site recycle bin and then to the second-stage recycle bin. After the hold is removed, the item follows the normal deletion schedule. Until then, the item remains recoverable by site owners or admins.
Retention holds do not block normal site operations. Users can still create, edit, and share content. The hold only prevents the final purge of data. This design ensures that information governance does not interrupt daily work. Site owners should understand that they cannot delete content to free up storage if a hold is active. The storage quota still counts the held items.
Checklist for Site Owners to Verify Retention Holds
Use this checklist to confirm whether a retention hold is active on your SharePoint site or library. Each step can be performed by the site owner without needing global admin access.
- Check the site settings page
Go to your SharePoint site. Select the gear icon in the upper right and choose Site information. Look for the View all site settings link at the bottom. Under Site Administration, click Information management policy settings. If a retention policy is configured, you will see a list of content types and their retention stages. - Review library-level retention labels
Navigate to the document library. Select the gear icon and choose Library settings. Under Permissions and Management, click Information management policy settings. If a retention label is applied, the label name appears here. Click the label to view its retention action, such as Retain for 7 years then delete. - Verify eDiscovery holds in the compliance portal
Ask your compliance administrator to open the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. Go to eDiscovery > eDiscovery (Standard) or eDiscovery (Premium). Check the list of cases. If a case includes your SharePoint site as a content location, a hold is active. You cannot view this in SharePoint directly, but you can request a report from the admin. - Check the site recycle bin for held items
Open the site recycle bin by selecting the gear icon and choosing Site contents. Click Recycle bin in the left navigation. Look for items that have a note stating This item is under retention hold. If you see this note, the item cannot be permanently deleted until the hold is released. - Review site policies in SharePoint admin center
If you have SharePoint admin access, go to the SharePoint admin center. Under Policies, select Retention. This page lists all retention policies applied to sites in your organization. Filter by site URL to confirm which policies apply to your site.
What Site Owners Cannot Do When a Retention Hold Is Active
Understanding the limits of a retention hold prevents wasted effort and frustration. Here are the actions that are blocked or ineffective while a hold is in place.
Permanent deletion of documents or list items
Even if you delete a file from a library and then empty the recycle bin, the item stays in the second-stage recycle bin. The system does not physically remove the data. Only after the hold is removed and the retention period expires does the item become eligible for permanent deletion. You cannot force a delete using PowerShell or third-party tools.
Removal of the site or subsite
If a retention policy is applied to the entire site, you cannot delete the site. Attempting to delete the site from the SharePoint admin center or site settings will fail. The system displays an error message stating that a retention policy or hold prevents deletion. You must first remove the policy from the site, which requires compliance admin permissions.
Changes to the retention policy itself
Site owners cannot modify or remove a retention policy. Only compliance administrators or global administrators can edit retention policies in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. If you need a policy changed, submit a request through your organization’s compliance team.
Common Misunderstandings About Retention Holds
Many site owners confuse retention holds with restricted access or content blocking. The following clarifications address frequent questions.
Does a retention hold prevent editing or sharing?
No. Users can still edit, copy, move, and share documents under a retention hold. The hold only prevents permanent deletion. SharePoint does not lock the file for editing or block access. If you need to restrict editing, use site permissions or information rights management instead.
Does a retention hold consume storage quota?
Yes. All items under a retention hold count against the site’s storage quota. Even deleted items that remain in the recycle bin due to a hold consume storage. To free up space, you must wait until the hold is removed and the items are permanently deleted. Alternatively, request a storage quota increase from your tenant admin.
Can I move content out of a site that has a hold?
Yes. Moving or copying files to another site is allowed. The retention policy follows the original location, not the file. If you move a file to a site without a retention policy, the file is no longer under hold. However, if the file was under a retention label, the label may travel with the file depending on the label configuration. Test with a single file first.
Retention Hold Behavior: Active Hold vs No Hold
| Item | Active Retention Hold | No Retention Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Delete a document | Moves to recycle bin, cannot be permanently deleted until hold ends | Moves to recycle bin, can be permanently deleted by owner |
| Empty recycle bin | Items under hold remain in second-stage recycle bin | Items are permanently removed |
| Delete the site | Blocked, error message shown | Allowed with confirmation |
| Edit or share content | Allowed | Allowed |
| Storage quota impact | Held items count against quota | Only active items count |
Site owners can now identify whether a retention hold is active on their SharePoint site and understand what actions are restricted. Use the checklist to verify holds and communicate with your compliance team if you need to remove a policy. For advanced management, learn how to view retention labels in the compliance portal. One concrete tip: always check the second-stage recycle bin for items marked with a hold note before assuming a deletion was successful.