> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.box.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating and Editing a Legal Hold Policy

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[Legal Hold policies](/en/box-governance/legal-holds/about-legal-hold-policies) are available as a part of Box Governance. Use Box Governance Legal Hold policies to retain designated content in your organization by placing certain files, folders, or custodians ([managed users](/en/box-admin-tools/managing-box-users-and-admins/understanding-user-management)) under legal hold. Once under legal hold, content is prevented from being permanently deleted for as long as the Legal Hold policy is active.

You create Legal Hold policies either on custodians or on folders.

## Creating a Legal Hold Policy on Custodians

Box enables you to place a legal hold on content owned by any managed users you designate as content custodians.

1. Go to **Admin Console > Governance**.
2. Click the **Legal Holds** tab.
3. Click **Create**.
4. Enter a **Legal Hold Name** (required) and a **Description** (optional). The name must be unique. The content of the Description field is included in the Reason for Hold column in a [Legal Holds report](/en/box-admin-tools/reporting-and-insights/legal-holds-report).
5. In Apply Policy To, select **Users (Custodians)**. See [Selection of Custodian(s)](/en/box-governance/legal-holds/about-legal-hold-policies#selection-of-custodians-with-a-date-range) for details about what content is held when you select custodians.
6. In Date Range - Content Creation, optionally set a date range for held files. See [Selection of Custodian(s) With a Date Range](/en/box-governance/legal-holds/about-legal-hold-policies#selection-of-custodians-with-a-date-range) for details about how defining a Start Date or End Date value affects when content is held by the policy.
   * Setting a date range is permanent for this legal hold. After the policy is made active, you cannot change the date range.
7. Click **Next**.
8. Click **Add Custodians**.
9. Select the types of content to preserve.  Select from one, or more, of the following:
   * **Interactions**
   * **Ownership**
   * **Access**
10. Click **Next**.
11. In the **Users** box, type the names you want to add as custodians, and then click **Add**. The users you add as custodians must already exist as managed users in your Box account.
12. Click **Next** and review the details of the legal hold.
13. Click **Start Policy**.
    * Box applies the legal hold to all content that the users you've named as custodians own or are collaborated into at the moment the policy is made active, including content in Trash folders.
    * The content held is limited to content created or modified in the date range you selected.

## Creating a Legal Hold Policy on Folders

Box enables you to place a legal hold on folders, regardless of who owns them.

1. Go to **Admin Console > Governance**.
2. Click the **Legal Holds** tab.
3. Click **Create**.
4. Enter a **Legal Hold Name** (required) and a **Description** (optional). The name must be unique. The content of the Description field is included in the Reason for Hold column in a [Legal Holds report](/en/box-admin-tools/reporting-and-insights/legal-holds-report).
5. In Apply Policy To, select **Folders**.
6. Click **Next**.
7. Click **Select Folders**.
8. In the **Search** box, enter all or part of the name of a folder you want to hold,, then press **Enter**. You can also filter by user name.
9. Under Search Results, select the folders you want to add, and then click **Choose**.
10. Review the details of the legal hold, and then click **Next**.
11. Click **Start Policy**.

Box applies the legal hold to all content, including sub-folders, within the folders you selected.

<h2 id="editing-a-legal-hold-policy">
  Editing a Legal Hold Policy
</h2>

Box enables you to edit legal holds placed on content and folders:

1. Go to **Admin Console > Governance**
2. Select the **Legal Holds** tab
3. Select the **Case name** you want to edit

To edit the **Legal Hold Name** and **Description**, select the **Edit** button next to **Legal Hold Details**. The name must be unique. After updating the fields, select **Save** in the top-right of the screen.

Select **Edit** next to **Users/Custodians** for the following capabilities:

* Add custodians. Select **Add**, choose their [preservation type](/en/box-governance/legal-holds/about-legal-hold-policies#how-custodian-managed-user-legal-hold-preservation-types-work-in-box), add their username or email address, and select **Add**. Select **Save** to complete the changes
* Search custodians, via the top search bar
* Edit custodian preservation types. Select **Edit** next to their name and check/uncheck the boxes next to each type. Select **Save** to complete the change
  * If preservation types are removed, it this triggers the release of data on hold if the hold no longer applies to that data
  * If preservation types are added, it this preserves data based on the preservation type selected
* Remove custodians. Select the trash icon then confirm their removal by selecting **Remove**. Select **Save** to complete the changes

Select **Edit** next to **Folders** for the following capabilities:

* Add folders. Select **Add**, search for the folder name (with the option to filter a specific user's content), then check the box and select **Choose**. Select **Save** to complete the changes
* Remove folders. Select **Remove** next to the folder you no longer want a legal hold on. No confirmation screen will display. Select **Save** to complete the changes

<Note>
  **Note**

  The amount of time Box needs to apply the legal hold policy (both initially and for any new files) depends on the number of files affected by the hold – the more objects you hold (files, folders, custodians), the longer it takes for the hold to become active. To verify that your legal hold is in fact applied, in your Admin Console navigate back to the **Legal Holds** tab and run a **Legal Holds** report to check for ongoing policies.

  You can release a legal hold you've created via the **Legal Holds** tab in the Admin Console. It may take some time for the legal hold to release completely.
</Note>