Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-07-23

This topic explains how to configure the deleted mailbox retention period in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. By default, deleted mailboxes are retained for 30 days before they are purged from the mailbox database.

Before You Begin

To perform these procedures, the account you use must be delegated the Exchange Organization Administrator role.

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Procedure

To use the Exchange Management Console to configure the deleted mailbox retention period

  1. Open the Exchange Management Console.

  2. In the Console Tree, expand Microsoft Exchange, then expand Server Configuration, and then select Mailbox.

  3. On the Database Management tab in the work pane, expand the storage group that contains the mailbox database that you want to configure.

  4. Right-click the database that you want to configure, and then select Properties.

  5. Click the Limits tab.

  6. In the Deletion settings area, enter the number of days to retain deleted mailboxes in Keep deleted mailboxes for (days).

  7. Click OK to save the changes.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure the deleted mailbox retention period

  1. Open the Exchange Management Shell.

  2. Run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    Set-MailboxDatabase <database_name> -MailboxRetention 45.00:00:00
    Note:
    Replace <database_name> with the database name. Replace 45.00:00:00 with the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds for the retention period.