Microsoft Purview | Data Lifecycle Management - New cmdlet to remove retention holds from inactive mailboxes

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new opt-in cmdlet parameters in Microsoft Purview Data lifecycle management that help administrators remove retention holds from inactive mailboxes. The new ExcludeFromAllHolds parameter removes all applicable holds except eDiscovery holds, litigation hold, and restrictive retention policies, enabling permanent deletion of mailboxes while continuing to respect compliance requirements.  

The RemoveComplianceTagHold switch, in contrast, removes only the Compliance Tag–based hold (ComplianceTagHoldApplied) from a mailbox. This gives administrators more granular control when they want to adjust Compliance Tag enforcement without excluding the mailbox from other holds.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 537204.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC-High, DoD): Rollout begins in early December 2025 and completes by late December 2025.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: Admins managing inactive mailboxes in Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange.

What will happen:

• Admins can use the new cmdlet to remove multiple types of retention holds from inactive mailboxes in a single operation.
• Mailboxes can be permanently deleted after holds are removed, provided no legal or restrictive retention policies remain.
• This feature is opt-in and requires explicit execution of the cmdlet.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Review compliance requirements before using the cmdlet.
• Obtain approval from your compliance team prior to execution.
• Update internal documentation to reflect this new capability.

[Compliance considerations]

Question	Answer
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed (such as documents, emails, chats)?	Yes, Once the holds are removed, the data will no longer be preserved. Inactive mailboxes will transition to a soft-deleted state and will be permanently deleted after 30 days.
Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable capabilities in Purview such as retention policies, holds, or deletion workflows?	Exchange administrators can remove organization-wide retention policies, user-specific retention policies, delay holds, delay-release holds, and Compliance Tag holds. This enables them to permanently delete mailboxes, provided no other legal or restrictive holds are applied.
Does the change modify how users can access, export, delete, or correct their personal data within Microsoft 365 services (GDPR Data Subject Rights)?	After removing the permitted holds from mailboxes, users can permanently delete them, provided no other legal or restrictive holds remain in place.