# Retention, legal holds, exports and Discovery API

*Slack Administrator Study Guide · Governance, Security and Compliance · Last updated October 21, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/slack-administrator/governance-security-and-compliance/retention-legal-holds-exports-and-discovery-api*

Which tool keeps or produces a person's message history: workspace, org and per-conversation retention, legal holds with custodians, export types by plan, and the Discovery API for archiving and eDiscovery partners.

- Certification: Salesforce Slack Administrator
- Exam section: Governance, Security and Compliance
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/slack-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a scenario, assess how to meet compliance standards for an individual's message history.

## What the exam expects

- Pick the message and file retention options that meet a requirement, including keeping edit and deletion history and deleted files.
- Explain why a Workspace Owner in an Enterprise org cannot change retention, and how per-conversation overrides and Slack Connect retention behave.
- Preserve one person's history with a legal hold: who creates it, what it covers and excludes, what can be edited, and the custodian limit.
- Choose the export type a plan allows (public channels, all channels and conversations, scheduled, custom by member and date) and its format.
- Decide when the Discovery API and a partner app are the answer, and what the API may be used for.

Key terms:
- **Retention:** how long Slack keeps messages, files, canvases and lists before deleting them automatically.
- **Legal hold:** an Enterprise preservation order on chosen members (custodians) that overrides retention, edits and deletions.
- **All channels and conversations export:** the applied-for export of public and private channels and DMs in JSON.
- **Discovery API:** the Enterprise API that approved eDiscovery, archiving and DLP partner apps use to export or act on messages and files.
- **Enterprise org:** an Enterprise organization (Enterprise Grid or Enterprise+ plan); its policies sit above workspace settings.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Default retention, paid plans | Lifetime of the workspace | [Customize data retention](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-data-retention-in-Slack) |
| Keep edit and deletion history | Never delete messages — save edits | [Customize data retention](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-data-retention-in-Slack) |
| Org-level retention set | Workspace Owners can't adjust by default; Org Owner asks Support | [Customize data retention](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-data-retention-in-Slack) |
| Slack Connect retention | Each org's settings cover only its own members' content | [Slack Connect data management](https://slack.com/help/articles/115004152843-How-data-management-features-apply-to-Slack-Connect) |
| Legal hold creator | Legal Holds Admin system role, Enterprise plans | [Legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds) |
| Custodian limit | 1,000 per hold; create another hold for the rest | [Legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds) |
| Legal hold exclusions | Slack Connect conversations, deleted channels | [Legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds) |
| Business+ private export | Apply; Workspace Primary Owner approves; then schedule weekly or monthly | [Export your workspace data](https://slack.com/help/articles/201658943-Export-your-workspace-data) |
| Files in exports | Links only, except a single user's TXT export | [Import and export tools](https://slack.com/help/articles/204897248-Guide-to-Slack-import-and-export-tools) |
| Discovery API use | Security and compliance only; Enterprise; requested by Org Owners | [Discovery APIs](https://slack.com/help/articles/360002079527-A-guide-to-Slacks-Discovery-APIs) |

## Check yourself

- Why can't a Workspace Owner in an Enterprise org change the workspace's retention?
- When does Keep all files including deleted files matter?
- Which legal hold details can be edited after creation?
- Why does a Business+ owner's private-channel export application take time?

## Sources

- [Customize data retention in Slack](https://slack.com/help/articles/203457187-Customize-data-retention-in-Slack)
- [Create and manage legal holds](https://slack.com/help/articles/4401830811795-Create-and-manage-legal-holds)
- [A guide to Slack's Discovery APIs](https://slack.com/help/articles/360002079527-A-guide-to-Slacks-Discovery-APIs)
- [Export your workspace data](https://slack.com/help/articles/201658943-Export-your-workspace-data)
- [Guide to Slack import and export tools](https://slack.com/help/articles/204897248-Guide-to-Slack-import-and-export-tools)
- [Edit message retention settings for specific conversations](https://slack.com/help/articles/115005393586-Edit-message-retention-settings-for-specific-conversations)
- [How data management features apply to Slack Connect](https://slack.com/help/articles/115004152843-How-data-management-features-apply-to-Slack-Connect)
- [Types of roles in Slack](https://slack.com/help/articles/360018112273-Types-of-roles-in-Slack)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Slack Administrator pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams