ChatGPT,
Claude,
Gemini,
Grok — all four for
Key highlights
- Learn what Google Vault is and why it is a governance tool rather than a backup service.
- Discover how retention rules, legal holds, search and export work together to support eDiscovery needs.
- Compare Vault against traditional backup so you choose the right protection for your compliance goals.
- Know which Google Workspace plans include Vault and when a Business Plus upgrade makes sense.
- Explore how to get Google Workspace with Gemini through Bluehost to draft emails and summarize meetings faster.
Do you need to keep records for compliance or answer a legal request? Google Vault gives you an information governance and eDiscovery tool inside Google Workspace. With it, you can retain, hold, search and export your users’ Workspace data.
Information governance means you set rules for how long data is kept and when it is deleted. eDiscovery means you can find and produce that data for legal or investigative needs. Vault handles those governance tasks, and it does not restore lost files on demand.
This guide covers what Vault does, the data it covers, how it differs from backup, which plans include it and the first admin steps. Our Bluehost Google Workspace Business Plus plan includes Vault, so you may already have access.
What Google Vault is and what it is not?
Google Vault gives you the information governance and eDiscovery tool built into Google Workspace. You can retain, hold, search and export data across supported apps like Gmail, Drive and Chat. Think of it as the control layer for keeping and finding records, while your team creates and edits files elsewhere.
Vault handles governance and eDiscovery, but it does not provide backup, point-in-time recovery or automated restore. According to the Vault FAQ, Vault is not designed to be a backup or archive tool. It also differs from Google Drive storage, which holds your live working files.
One detail matters here: Vault only retains data after an admin configures retention rules. It does not work retroactively, so data created before you set a rule may not be preserved.
Why organizations use Google Vault?
You may turn to Vault when you have a specific record-keeping or legal need. These controls are available in paid Google Workspace plans rather than free personal Gmail, as our guide to Google Workspace vs Gmail explains. Here are the situations where Vault tends to matter most:
- Regulatory record-keeping: Organizations in fields like legal, financial services and healthcare often face rules about how long they keep records.
- Litigation readiness: Legal holds let you preserve data the moment a dispute looks likely, so nothing is lost.
- Internal investigations: Search and export help you review communications when you need to look into a workplace issue.
- Departing-employee data: Vault can preserve a former employee’s messages and files after they leave the company.
Vault is most relevant to organizations with retention or compliance obligations. If your business has none of these needs today, you may not use Vault often, and that is fine.
Google Vault’s core capabilities
You use Vault through four connected capabilities. Retention rules decide how long data is kept, and legal holds preserve data during a dispute.
Search and export handle eDiscovery inside cases called matters, and audit reports track what admins do. Understanding each one helps you set Vault up correctly and avoid surprises later.
1. Retention rules: keep or delete data on a schedule
Retention rules control how long Vault keeps data and when it is deleted. You can set a default rule that applies service-wide, or custom rules scoped by organizational unit, date range or search terms. The Google Vault overview explains how these rules keep data and control deletion timing.
Rules can run indefinitely or for a set period. Data stays available to Vault even after users delete it and empty their trash. When a retention period expires, deleted data that is not under a hold is purged and cannot be recovered.
2. Legal holds: preserve data regardless of retention
A legal hold preserves data indefinitely and overrides any retention rule. You can place holds on specific accounts, organizational units or groups when a case or investigation calls for it. When you remove a hold, the affected data falls back under your normal retention rules.
One caution is worth noting: Removing a user’s Vault license can expose data that a hold was preserving. Keep licensing in place for anyone whose data you need to hold.
3. Search, matters and export for eDiscovery
Vault organizes eDiscovery work inside matters, which act as containers for a single case. Within a matter you can search by account, organizational unit, date, keyword and Boolean terms, then preview the results before you act on them.
When you are ready, you export a copy of the data along with its metadata and corroborating details. Exports stay available for 15 days and are then deleted, so download them promptly. A May 2025 Vault Drive update added Drive export by document ID, with up to 1,000 IDs per export, and expanded shared-drive options.
4. Audit reports
Vault records admin actions in an audit log designed to support accountability. It logs retention edits, searches and exports, and Google presents it as a non-editable audit log. This gives you a record of who did what inside Vault, which supports both compliance and internal oversight.
What data Google Vault covers?
Vault covers several Google services, though coverage depends on the service and a few conditions. Some apps need a setting turned on or a specific license before Vault can retain their data. The table below summarizes current support, drawn from Google’s Vault supported services documentation.
| Service | Supported | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Yes | None |
| Google Drive incl. Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, new Sites and Vids | Yes | None |
| Google Groups | Yes | None |
| Google Chat | Yes | History must be on for direct and group messages |
| Google Meet recordings | Yes | Stored through Drive |
| Google Voice | Yes | Requires a Voice Standard or Premier license |
| Google Calendar | Yes | Primary events |
| Gemini app | Yes | Standalone app conversations |
In short, Vault covers your core communication and collaboration apps, with a few conditions for Chat, Voice and Meet.
A few services fall outside Vault’s coverage today:
- Google Contacts
- Google Keep
- Gemini for Google Workspace assistant features, such as “Help me write”
- Classic Google Sites
Google Vault vs. backup: an important distinction
A common misunderstanding is treating Vault like a backup. The two solve different problems, so comparing them on the criteria that affect recovery and compliance helps you decide what you actually need.
| Criteria | Google Vault | Backup solution |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Information governance and eDiscovery | Restoring lost or damaged data |
| Restores data to a user | No | Yes |
| Automated recovery | No | Yes |
| Retention and hold for compliance | Yes | Limited |
| Best for | Retention, legal holds and eDiscovery | Recovering from deletion, corruption or ransomware |
In short, Vault and backup answer different questions, and organizations with compliance obligations often use both.
Which Google Workspace plans include Google Vault?
What you get depends on your Google Workspace edition. Business Plus includes Vault at no extra charge for all users and admins, while Business Starter and Business Standard do not.
If you are on a lower plan, you can upgrade to Business Plus or add a Vault add-on by contacting Google Sales. Our comparison of Business Standard vs Business Plus shows why Vault is often the deciding feature.
One change to plan for: Effective November 1, 2025, Google Workspace admins must hold a Vault license to keep using Vault. If you are on Business Plus, that requirement is already met.
| Plan | Promotional price | Includes Vault? |
|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | $3.50/mo (renews $7/mo) | No |
| Business Standard | $7/mo (renews $14/mo) | No |
| Business Plus | $11/mo (renews $22/mo) | Yes |
Note: Pricing is as of September 2026. For the latest pricing and offerings, visit bluehost.com.
These are promotional prices for the first 12-month term, for up to 5 seats at 50% off. Upgrades are prorated whenever you move up, and with us you manage every plan from one dashboard with 24/7 human support.
As a bonus, higher-tier plans expand Google Workspace with Gemini so you can draft content and summarize meetings faster.
How to start using Google Vault?
Getting started with Vault follows a clear sequence. Admins manage Vault and users from the Google Admin console, and our Google Workspace Admin console guide walks through that dashboard in detail. Here is the order that works best:
- Confirm a Vault license: Vault is included with Business Plus, so check that the users you need to cover are licensed.
- Sign in to Vault: Go to vault.google.com with an account that has Vault privileges.
- Set retention rules first: Vault does not retain data retroactively, so create rules before you expect to need them.
- Create a matter and place holds: For an active case, open a matter and place holds on the relevant accounts.
- Search and export: Run a search inside the matter, preview the results and export what you need.
Pro tip: When an employee leaves, assign an Archived User license to keep retaining or holding their data. Do not delete the account, because deleting a user permanently removes their Vault-retained and held data, and that cannot be reversed.
Also read: what Google Workspace includes to see how Vault fits within the broader suite.
Final thoughts
Google Vault gives you retention rules, legal holds, search and export across your Workspace apps. It is a governance and eDiscovery tool rather than a backup. Your next step is to confirm you have a Vault license, which comes with Business Plus, then set retention rules before you need them.
We built our plans so you can run Business Plus with Vault from one dashboard, backed by 24/7 human support whenever a question comes up. If compliance and eDiscovery matter to your team, get started with Bluehost Google Workspace.
FAQs
How much does Google Vault cost?
Vault is included with Business Plus at no extra charge, so its cost is built into that plan. Business Starter and Business Standard do not include Vault. To get it on a lower plan, you can upgrade to Business Plus or ask Google Sales about a Vault add-on.
See the plans section above for current Bluehost pricing.
How is Google Vault different from Google Drive?
Google Drive holds your working files for daily use, while Vault governs that data for compliance and eDiscovery. Vault applies retention rules, preserves data under legal holds and lets admins search and export it when needed. The two work together rather than replacing each other.
Does Google Vault keep deleted emails?
Yes, when a retention rule or legal hold applies to that data. In those cases Vault keeps the messages available even after a user deletes them and empties trash. Without a rule or hold in place, standard Gmail deletion applies and the messages are not preserved for later search or export.
Can I preserve a departing employee’s data in Google Vault?
Yes. Assign an Archived User license to keep retaining or holding that person’s messages and files after they leave. Do not delete the account, because deleting a user permanently removes their Vault-retained and held data, and that cannot be reversed.
Does Google Vault cover Google Calendar?
Yes. Vault currently supports Google Calendar primary events, so you can retain and search them like other covered data.
This corrects an older claim that Calendar was unsupported. Coverage still varies by service, so review Google’s supported-services documentation to confirm the conditions that apply to your apps.
How do I access Google Vault?
Sign in at vault.google.com with an account that has a Vault license and the right privileges. Many admins reach Vault through their Google Admin console, where they also manage users and licensing. If you cannot sign in, confirm your account is licensed for Vault and has been granted the needed permissions.
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