Arawa Mail’s public documentation does not specify an N-day automatic purge for Inbox or Sent. The public docs do not state a timed Inbox purge; storage limits and deliberate deletion still matter. Spam is permanently deleted after 30 days, including attachments. Permanent mailbox delete has no recovery window. Write a lightweight retention policy instead of assuming a hidden archive or legal hold.
Two teams get this wrong in opposite ways. One never deletes and treats hello@ as a museum of “thanks!” threads. The other empties Trash the week before tax season and discovers invoices lived only in the mailbox. Neither is a policy.
Product behavior is not a legal obligation
Arawa Mail documents folders and delete semantics. It does not document an organization-wide retention-policy engine, litigation hold, or a recoverable-items dumpster like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Do not expect those admin features here.
Mailbox folders: Inbox, Search, Sent, Drafts, Starred, Archive, Spam, Trash. That is the working set. Legal windows vary by jurisdiction and industry. If you are regulated, ask counsel. This article is a starter policy for small teams, not a statute.
How we analyzed this
We matched current Mailbox and Email Accounts documentation: 30-day Spam purge, disable-versus-delete, forwarding as new-inbound-only, and immediate permanent delete. We did not invent a Trash auto-purge interval because docs do not publish one. We kept marketing-list consent problems out of mailbox retention.
What Arawa Mail actually auto-deletes
- Inbox / Sent / Archive / Starred / Drafts: no timed purge is stated in the public docs; check plan storage and current service policy. Check live pricing rather than memorizing quota numbers.
- Spam: permanently deleted after 30 days, including stored attachments. Mail explicitly deleted from Spam moves to Trash and follows Trash behavior.
- Trash: no documented automatic purge interval. Do not invent one.
- Permanent mailbox delete: disable first, then type the full address. Removes mail, attachments, imports, forwarding rules, personal contacts, signatures, spam rules, calendar data, devices, and mailbox integrations immediately. No recovery window. Organization contacts and activity logs follow service audit-log policy.
Disable keeps history; delete does not
Disable mailbox blocks mailbox, SMTP, mobile, and connected AI-assistant access without removing stored data. Administrators may still open retained mailbox data. Enabling later does not restore old sessions or integrations.
That is the right first move for a leaver. The published employee email offboarding checklist owns disable, API-key rotation, and the delete decision. This article only answers how long the organization meant to keep that history.
Forwarding is not a backup
Forwarding copies new inbound mail only. Existing stored messages are not forwarded. Destinations consume transactional-email allowance. Documented destination caps per mailbox: Free 1, Pro 5, Business 10 (re-check the live plan table if you upgrade or downgrade).
See also email forwarding vs mailbox hosting. If billing@ must survive a delete, export first. Do not treat a forward as an archive.
A one-page starter mailbox retention policy
| Class | Examples | Starter hold | Where it should live |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working mail | Scheduling, “thanks,” internal chatter | While useful, then Archive or delete noise monthly | Mailbox |
| Customer threads | support@, hello@ after a project closes | A documented period based on support needs and applicable obligations | Mailbox Archive; not five years of noise |
| Invoices and contracts | Paid invoices, signed SOWs, tax letters | Use the retention period required for your jurisdiction and record type | Accounting / contract system first; mailbox is a copy |
| Spam | Junk, reported senders | Product purges after 30 days | Spam folder; do not treat it as records storage |
hello@ does not need five years of “thanks!” threads. billing@ should not be permanently deleted until someone decides whether an export is required. Newsletter subscriber lists are a consent problem, not this policy.
How a five-person studio can apply this
- Keep Inbox and Sent until storage pressure; Archive closed projects.
- Empty obvious noise monthly. Do not empty Trash the week tax files are due.
- Never permanently delete billing@ without an export decision.
- For support@: set and document a retention period; invoices live in accounting software.
- Name shared boxes on purpose — see aliases, shared inboxes, and plus addressing and catch-all inboxes — so retention applies to a known address, not a mystery dump.
The free plan is for proving the domain, not for assuming unlimited forever-storage. MCP assistants cannot permanently delete mail or empty Trash. Do not position an AI assistant as a retention robot.
FAQ
Does Arawa Mail auto-delete Inbox mail after N days?
No timed Inbox purge is stated in the public documentation. Check current account policy and storage limits.
What happens to Spam after 30 days?
It is permanently deleted, including attachments. Mail deleted from Spam first goes to Trash.
If I disable a leaver’s mailbox, is the history still there?
Yes. Administrators can still open retained data. Permanent delete is a separate, irreversible step.
Is permanent delete recoverable?
No. There is no recovery window.
Is forwarding a backup?
No. It copies new inbound mail only and is not an archive of stored history.
Sources and review
Reviewed against the linked documentation on 3 October 2026. Examples are illustrative; code that depends on application models must be adapted and tested in your own project.