A legal hold freezes a file
Who is involved
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| HR manager | Places and lifts the hold. |
| Documents manager | Finds the file locked when trying to change it. |
| Tenant admin | Runs or reviews the retention clean-up. |
Step by step
- HR manager
Sets legal hold on a disciplinary file from its menu.
What they see:A Legal hold badge appears and any public links are revoked.
- Documents manager
Tries to archive the file or create a share link.
What they see:Both are refused with a message naming the legal hold.
- Documents manager
Opens the file.
What they see:It opens read-only in the editor.
- Tenant admin
Asks Copilot to preview the retention clean-up.
What they see:The held file is never in the list of files to be destroyed.
- HR manager
Lifts the hold when the matter closes.
What they see:The badge disappears and normal rules apply again.
Who is told what
No alert is sent when a hold is set or lifted; both are written to the audit trail.