Can't retain cloud attachments

• Applies to:

  Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Purview provides tools that admins can use to retain cloud attachments that users share through Teams and Outlook. If you've configured cloud attachments to be retained, but you can't find them by using eDiscovery, it might be that the items weren't actually cloud attachments but separate copies or shared by using other mechanisms. Use the following table to identify which sharing mechanisms are cloud attachments in Outlook, Teams, and Viva Engage.

For information about how to retain cloud attachments that are shared in Outlook, Teams, and Viva Engage and known limitations for this scenario, see the retention label condition for cloud attachments in Automatically apply a retention label to retain or delete content.

Cloud attachments in Outlook

Sharing mechanism	Is it a cloud attachment?
Cloud attachments: A display on an Outlook client that resembles a regular attachment, but is actually a reference to a stored file. Example:	Yes
Attached copy: A separate copy of the original file. Example:	No
URLs: An HTTP reference that's added to the email subject or body, or to the meeting text body that provides the address of a file that's stored online. Example:	Yes
Embedded Images: Images that are pasted into the email body. Example:	No

Cloud attachments in Teams

Sharing mechanism	Is it a cloud attachment?
A file that's shared from OneDrive or uploaded from the computer. Example:	Yes
URL links to files, documents, or images that are pasted into the chat or a channel and are then resolved as chiclet graphics. Example:	Yes
Audio and video files that are pasted directly into the message as links and are then resolved as chiclet graphics. Example:	Yes
URL links to files, documents, or images that don't resolve as chiclet graphics, and the URL links remain as text-only links in the message. Example:	Yes
Images that are pasted directly into a chat. Example:	No
Reactions to messages. Example:	No
Emojis that are shared in a chat. Example:	No
GIF files that are shared in a chat. Example:	No
Live components that are shared in a chat. Example:	No
Stickers that are shared in a chat. Example:	No
Praise and approvals that are shared in a chat. Example:	No

Cloud attachments in Viva Engage

Sharing mechanism	Is it a cloud attachment?
Upload a file from a device. It will be stored it in a SharePoint or OneDrive location. Example:	Yes
Attach a file that's stored in a SharePoint or OneDrive location. Example:	Yes
Include a hyperlink in the message body to a file that's stored in a SharePoint or OneDrive location Example:	Yes