# How long mail is kept

> How long the Inbox keeps a conversation, what Keep does, when mail is deleted, and how to hold on to something.

Who this is for: Anyone with “Use the member inbox” or “Set up inboxes” or “Send text messages” (by default: Administrator, Casual Staff, Treasurer).
Last checked in release 2026.10.31, on 31 October 2026.
Source: https://sportsclubos.net/help/communications/inbox-keeping/

The Inbox does not keep mail for ever. How long a conversation is kept depends on who it is about and whether anyone has pressed **Keep**.

## The rules

| The conversation | How long it is kept |
|---|---|
| About a current member | Kept, with no date. |
| About a former member | For the number of years the club chose, from 1 to 7, after the later of their leaving and the conversation's last message. The setting for an inbox starts at 7 years. |
| Not linked to any member | Deleted 30 days after its last message. |
| In **Spam** | Deleted 30 days after its last message. |
| Marked **Keep** | Never deleted by date. |

The list shows **3 days left** and similar on a conversation about to go, in the last 14 days. A conversation open on the right says when it will be deleted and why, for example **Not linked to a member, so it will be deleted on 4 Nov 2026, 3 days from now. Choose Keep under Actions to hold on to it.**

The years for a former member start when they stop being a member, so a conversation about someone who leaves later is not deleted early.

## Keep something

1. Open the conversation.
2. Choose **Actions**, then **Keep**. A small flag shows on its row, and the conversation says **Marked keep, so this will not be deleted by date.**
3. To stop keeping it, choose **Actions**, then **Stop keeping**.

Use it for something the club needs to hold on to even if it is not about a member, such as a letter from a lawyer.

## What deleting removes

When a conversation is deleted, its messages and attachments go together. Conversations a deleted member was linked to are kept, unlinked, and age out at 30 days.

An export from a member's page is a copy and is not affected. See [A member's messages](https://sportsclubos.net/help/communications/member-messages/index.md).

## Change how long a former member's mail is kept

An Administrator sets this for each inbox: open Admin > Settings, the **Inboxes** tab, open the inbox and choose a number of years under **How long mail is kept**, then press **Save**.

## Related

- Who a conversation is linked to decides which rule applies. See [Who a conversation is about](https://sportsclubos.net/help/communications/inbox-who-its-about/index.md).
- For what Sports Club OS keeps about people generally, see [What Sports Club OS keeps about people](https://sportsclubos.net/help/reference/your-data/index.md).