Configure / Enable Default 2-Year Online Archive Policy Organization-Wide
Objective
Enable the default Exchange Online auto archive retention policy across the organization to automatically move emails older than 2 years to the Online Archive mailbox.
Background
Currently, Online Archive retention is not enabled organization-wide.
By enabling the default retention policy:
Emails older than 2 years (730 days) will automatically move to the Online Archive
Mailbox size growth can be controlled
Users can continue accessing archived emails from Outlook or Outlook Web
Microsoft Default Retention Policy
Exchange Online includes a built-in retention tag:
Default 2-year move to archive
This policy:
Automatically archives emails older than 2 years
Moves emails to the Online Archive mailbox
Does not delete emails
Prerequisites
Users must have:
Exchange Online Plan 2
ORMicrosoft 365 E3/E5 license
OROnline Archive enabled license support
Online Archive mailbox must also be enabled.
Steps to Enable Organization-Wide Archive Policy
Step 1 — Connect to Exchange Online PowerShell
Connect-ExchangeOnline
Step 2 — Verify Existing Retention Policy
Get-RetentionPolicy
Verify the default policy exists:
Default MRM Policy
Step 3 — Enable Online Archive for Mailboxes
Example for single mailbox:
Enable-Mailbox user@domain.com -Archive
For all mailboxes:
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Enable-Mailbox -Archive
Step 4 — Apply Default MRM Policy Organization-Wide
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Set-Mailbox -RetentionPolicy "Default MRM Policy"
Purpose
This applies:
Default 2 year move to archive policy
To all mailboxes in the organization
Step 5 — Start Retention Processing
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | Start-ManagedFolderAssistant
Purpose
Forces Exchange Online to immediately begin processing archive movement.
Verification
Check assigned retention policy:
Get-Mailbox user@domain.com | Select Name,RetentionPolicy
Check archive status:
Get-Mailbox user@domain.com | FL ArchiveStatus
Expected:
ArchiveStatus : Active
Important Notes
Archive movement is not immediate
Large mailboxes may take several hours or 24–48 hours to process
Microsoft may delay archive provisioning when mailbox size exceeds approximately 90 GB
Archived emails remain accessible unless manually deleted
Final Result
After configuration:
Emails older than 2 years automatically move to Online Archive
Mailbox size growth is controlled organization-wide
Users retain access to archived emails through Outlook and Outlook Web App (OWA)
Related Articles
Enable Online Archiving via PowerShell for All Users
Follow the steps below to enable the Online archive for all users through PowerShell Use cases: This is to enable the online email archive for all users and other functioning email accounts using a single command line using PowerShell. Applies to: ...How to enable Transcription and recording in Microsoft Teams organization policy
Steps to Enable Transcription in Teams: Configure Teams Meeting Policies Sign in to the Microsoft Teams Admin Center: Go to Teams Admin Center. Navigate to Meeting Policies: Expand Meetings in the left pane and select Meeting policies. Edit or Create ...How to Enable "Read and Manage" Permissions for a Mailbox in Microsoft 365
Permissions Scope: The "Read and Manage" permissions provide the user with access to read emails and manage the calendar but do not allow them to send emails on behalf of the mailbox owner unless granted additional permissions (e.g., "Send As" or ...Exchange admin Configure External Email Warning Banner in Exchange Admin Center
Purpose This Knowledge Base (KB) article explains how to configure an external email warning banner in Microsoft Exchange Online using Mail Flow Rules. The banner helps users identify emails originating from outside the organization and improves ...How to enable email forwarding in Microsoft 365 Exchange admin center
Email forwarding in MS 365 admin center Follow the below steps to enable email forwarding. Navigate to the below URL --> https://admin.exchange.microsoft.com Select the Recipients from left sidebar menu --> and navigate to Mailboxes --> Search the ...