Using the Office 365 Online Archive and
Setting Retention Policies
Each Office 365 email enabled account features an Online Archive mailbox. An archive mailbox is a
specialized mailbox that appears alongside the users’ primary mailbox folders in Outlook or Outlook
Web App. Users can access the archive in the same way that they access their primary mailboxes.
Features of the Archive Mailbox

Unlimited archive email storage that does not use your primary mailbox quota

Messages can be moved to the archive automatically or manually

The Archive mailbox is easily accessible through the Outlook Web App (OWA) and Microsoft
Outlook 2013 and higher

Messages in the archive mailbox are easily searchable and viewable from any location
Moving Messages to the Archive Mailbox
Users can drag and drop messages from .pst files into the archive called Online Archive – “Your Email
Address”, for easy online access. Users can also move email items from the primary mailbox to the
archive mailbox automatically, using Archive Polices, to reduce the size and improve the performance of
the primary mailbox.
Users can import data to the archive in the following ways:

Import data from a .pst file using Outlook’s Import and Export wizard.

Drag email messages from .pst files into the archive.

Drag email messages from the primary mailbox into the archive.

Let archive policies automatically move email messages from the primary mailbox, based on the
age of the messages.
How to Set an Archive Policy using Outlook Web App
1. Login to the Outlook Web App (OWA) https://exchange.uky.edu.
2. Right-click the custom created folder to which you want to assign an archive policy.
3. From the pull-down menu that appears, select Assign Policy.
4. From the Archive Policy drop-down menu, choose the archive policy you wish to apply.
NOTE: Using the procedure above, you may also set a retention policy that will automatically delete
messages in a custom folder.
How to Set an Archive Policy using Microsoft Outlook 2013 & 2016
1. Within Outlook, click the custom created folder to which you want to assign an archive policy.
2. From the Outlook Ribbon, select the Folder tab.
3. From the Folder Menu, click the Policy
button.
4. From the Online Archive Policy drop-down menu, choose the archive policy you wish to apply.
NOTE: Using the procedure above, you may also set a retention policy that will automatically delete
messages in a custom folder by selecting from the top drop-down menu under Folder Policy.
NOTE: Upgrading to the latest version of Microsoft Office will provide the best user experience with
Office 365.