Policy Statement
State the purpose and governing principles for retention and deletion.
4.8
on G2
Free Cybersecurity & Privacy Template
Download a free data retention policy template in Word, PDF, or Markdown. Or bring your notes, PDFs, or a recording and let Docsie AI fill in every section for you.
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Use this template to policy for retention, deletion, and archival of data.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Category | Cybersecurity & Privacy |
| Owner | [Team or owner] |
| Version | [Version number] |
| Effective Date | [Date] |
| Review Cycle | [Monthly / Quarterly / Annual / Event-based] |
| Status | [Draft / In Review / Approved] |
State the purpose and governing principles for retention and deletion.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Define covered systems, data categories, environments, and exclusions.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Provide retention periods by data category and legal basis.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Describe deletion, anonymization, backup expiry, and owner responsibilities.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Explain how holds suspend deletion and who can approve them.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
List logs, tickets, approvals, and reports used to prove compliance. Use precise retention periods and clear operational ownership.
| Item | Details | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
| [Item or requirement] | [Describe the relevant detail, evidence, or decision] | [Owner] | [Open / Complete] |
[Add context, assumptions, exceptions, evidence links, screenshots, calculations, or reviewer comments.]
Document review conclusions, approvals, unresolved items, and next review date.
| Role | Name | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparer | [Name] | [Date] | [Notes] |
| Reviewer | [Name] | [Date] | [Notes] |
| Approver | [Name] | [Date] | [Notes] |
Template Structure
Use this cybersecurity & privacy template as a starting point, then customize each section to match your internal workflow, evidence, and signoff needs.
State the purpose and governing principles for retention and deletion.
Define covered systems, data categories, environments, and exclusions.
Provide retention periods by data category and legal basis.
Describe deletion, anonymization, backup expiry, and owner responsibilities.
Explain how holds suspend deletion and who can approve them.
List logs, tickets, approvals, and reports used to prove compliance. Use precise retention periods and clear operational ownership.
Write a data retention policy for [organization or system]. Structure with these Markdown sections:
State the purpose and governing principles for retention and deletion.
Define covered systems, data categories, environments, and exclusions.
Provide retention periods by data category and legal basis.
Describe deletion, anonymization, backup expiry, and owner responsibilities.
Explain how holds suspend deletion and who can approve them.
List logs, tickets, approvals, and reports used to prove compliance.
Use precise retention periods and clear operational ownership.
Customer data is retained only as long as needed to provide contracted services, meet legal obligations, and support security investigations.
Covers production workspace content, account records, audit logs, support tickets, and backups.
| Data Category | Retention Period | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace content | Contract term plus 30 days | Customer Success |
| Audit logs | 1 year | Security |
| Support tickets | 3 years | Support Ops |
| Backups | 35 days rolling | Infrastructure |
Workspace content is queued for deletion after contract termination and customer confirmation. Backups expire through lifecycle policy.
Legal may suspend deletion for litigation, investigation, or regulatory request. Holds must include scope and review date.
Bring what you already have: meeting notes, an old PDF, a spreadsheet, a walkthrough recording. Docsie AI drafts every section of this data retention policy template in the structure above, then exports to Word, PDF, or Markdown for review and signoff.
Free to try. The template above was itself generated by Docsie — see it work on real videos at /tutorials/.
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Runbook for handling privacy and data subject requests
Evidence collection plan for SOC 2 audit controls
Request and approval record for security policy exceptions
Template FAQ
Common questions about downloading and generating a data retention policy template.
Q: What is a data retention policy template?
A: A data retention policy template is a structured document for policy for retention, deletion, and archival of data.
Q: Is the data retention policy template really free?
A: Yes. The data retention policy template is completely free to download in Word (DOCX), PDF, and Markdown formats. No signup or credit card required to download.
Q: How do I turn a video into a data Retention Policy?
A: Upload a process walkthrough, training recording, or screen capture to Docsie. The AI analyzes the video and generates a complete data Retention Policy using this template's structure — every required field auto-filled from the footage.
Q: Can I edit the data retention policy template after downloading?
A: Yes. The DOCX format opens in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The Markdown format imports into Notion, Confluence, Docsie, or any markdown editor. Customize fields, add your branding, and adapt to your internal workflow.