An Admin's Guide to Google Vault

Understanding Google Vault

• Data retention & governance: Helps organizations manage the lifecycle of data through customizable retention policies and holds, ensuring compliance with internal and regulatory standards.

• eDiscovery: Enables the identification, preservation, and retrieval of electronically stored information (ESI) for use in legal matters such as audits, investigations, or litigation.

How can organizations access Google Vault?

Google Vault is available with the following Google Workspace editions:

• Business Plus

• Enterprise (Standard and Plus)

• Education Fundamentals and Education Plus

• Frontline (as an add-on)

What is eDiscovery in Google Vault?

• Saved search queries

• Holds 

• Accounts that the matter is shared with

• Exports

• Audit log of the Vault user activity in that matter

How to create a matter in Google Vault?

• Step 1: Navigate to the Google Vault app through the waffle iron or through https://vault.google.com/ 

• Step 2: Click on “Matters” on the homepage.

• Step 3: Click on “Create” to create a new matter.

• Step 4: Enter the “Matter name” and “description” and click on “Create.”

How to perform a search in Google Vault?

• Step 1: Click on a “Matter” in which the search needs to be performed. 

• Step 2: Choose a “Service” from Gmail, Drive Groups, and Chat for which the search needs to be performed.

• Step 3: Fill in the following details:

  → Accounts or entities

  → Time zone

  → Date sent

  → Additional terms for search

  
  

  and then click on “Search”.

How to place content on an eDiscovery hold?

• Step 1: Open the Matter where you want to apply the hold.

• Step 2: Click on the Holds tab.

• Step 3: Click on Create Hold.

• Step 4: Select the Hold name as well as the Service. 

• Step 5: Select the “Scope” of the Hold, which is 

  → User accounts

  → Organizational units Learn more about Google organizational units.

• Step 6: Select the “Conditions” such as 

  → Start date

  → End date

  → Query terms

• Step 7: Click on “Create" to create a hold.

How to delete eDiscovery hold?

• Step 1: Select Holds tab for a “Matter”. 

• Step 2: Click on “Delete” for a specific hold.

What is retention in Google Vault?

How to create a custom retention rule?

• Step 1: Go to the Retention section and click on Create under the Custom rules tab.

• Step 2: Select the “Service” on which Retention rule needs to be applied. You can choose from:

  → Gmail

  → Drive (including Shared Drives)

  → Groups

  → Chat

  → Meet

  → Sites (Classic)

  → Calendar (event metadata)

• Step 3: Select the “Scope” of the retention rule.

• Step 4: Select the “Duration” as well as “Action” for the Retention rule. Then click “Create” to apply the rule.

How to delete a default/custom retention rule?

• Step 1: Select the default retention rule and click on “Delete”

• Step 2: Select the custom retention rule tab and click on “Delete”

What is the difference between retention rules and Hold?

Can data be modified or destructed when placed on an eDiscovery hold or when a retention rule is applied to it?

• Hold is deleted by the Google Vault user  

• A custodian is removed from the hold 

• A user's Google Account is deleted 

• A user no longer has a Vault license 

Is Google Vault a backup solution?

• No Restore Functionality:

  • Vault does not allow restoring deleted data back to a user account.

  • It’s designed to retain and export, not to recover.

• Export Limitations:

  • Export limit: 10 GB per ZIP file. Larger exports are split into multiple files.

  • Occasional partial export errors may result in incomplete data exports.

  • Gmail exports are limited to PST or MBOX formats, which aren’t compatible with some review platforms.

• Service Limitations:

  • Vault does not support Google Keep or Classroom.

  • Retention rules can be set for Calendar (metadata), but not for all content.

  • Meet (chat, recordings, Q&A) and Voice (texts, voicemails) are now supported — update accordingly.

• Licensing Restrictions:

  • Vault is not included in Business Starter or Business Standard plans.

  • It’s available in Business Plus, Enterprise editions, or as a paid add-on.