How long are private chat messages kept on device or elsewhere?

[svjohn1]

I promise I have tried to search for the answer to this. I can't find a clear answer. There are a few different kinds of chat in Zoom, and a few different settings that control retention. So to be as specific as I can:

On my computer in Zoom I have been chatting with people for years. Private encrypted chat. Not a group chat. Not a channel. Not chat in a meeting. Not private chat in a meeting. Advanced chat encryption is enabled at the account level for all users.

In several of these chats I can scroll back approximately 10 months ago. Where is this 10 month retention period defined? Can I change this at the account level? (for all my users)

Is this chat history stored only on the device? If so how come I can see it on another device? For example on my smartphone I can see the history of these chats that happened on my computer.

thanks

[Ray_Harwood]

Hi, @svjohn1.

Take a look at this Zoom Support article as a start:

https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0061552

There are other related articles referenced there. Let me know if this doesn’t give you the information you need. 

[svjohn1]

I read that it is still not clear how long a private chat message will stay on my devices.

[Ray_Harwood · Accepted solution]

True, @svjohn1.  Your Zoom App will cache the most recent chats, and if you scroll back through time, it will grab historical chats from the Zoom server. If you are outside of Internet coverage, some undetermined recent amount will still be on your device, but you’ll be unable to access more until you regain connectivity. 

[MGSR]

Hi @svjohn1!

Did you see the previous response from @Ray_Harwood?
If it has resolved your inquiry, please press Accept as Solution.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Have a great day!

[MGSR]

Hi @svjohn1!

Given the time elapsed since we last heard from you, I've taken the liberty of marking the provided answer as the solution.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Have a fantastic day!