Applying a legal retention lock to a document or folder
The organization administrator places a legal hold lock on a document or folder by providing a reason. While locked, contents of the document and folder cannot be moved to the trash, permanently deleted, or moved; automatic trash cleanup and version limits do not affect locked documents. Everyone can see the lock status, but only administrators can set or remove it. Details: version history and trash.
- Administrator
- Permission to manage settings
How to apply a legal retention lock to a document or folder?
A corporate administrator can apply a legal retention lock to a document or folder by providing a reason. Who can do this: Administrator; permission to manage settings. The lock applies to all subfolders and documents within the folder. While locked, contents cannot be moved to the trash bin, permanently deleted, or moved; automatic trash cleanup and version limits do not affect locked documents.
Steps
Select the document or folder to lock; in the detail panel, locate the LEGAL RETENTION LOCK section.
Click Set legal hold.
Enter the lawsuit, audit, or request name in the Reason field (at least 3 characters; e.g., Labour Court 2026/123) 1.
Click on Lock.
When the process is complete, click Unlock in the same section.
- 1Reason: lawsuit, audit, or request name
- 2Document cannot be deleted or moved
| Permission | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Sending to the recycle bin | Blocked |
| Permanent deletion and emptying the trash | Locked items are skipped |
| Moving to another folder | Blocked |
| Version limit and old version cleanup | Versions of locked documents are preserved |
| Read, preview, download, upload new version | Free |