The default behavior when deleting a message from a mail archive may differ depending on the mail application. With Lotus Notes, there is a "soft delete" feature that allows a message to be maintained in a special folder, the "Trash," for a measured interval (default is 48-hours). After that, the message is permanently deleted. Outlook behaves in much the same manner. Deleted messages are moved to the "Deleted Items" folder but there is no time limit associated with this action. Outlook permanently deletes a message when the user empties the Deleted Items folder.

In either case, the Desktop Agent replicates the delete during the next backup operation. If a user accidentally deletes a message from a mail archive, the message must be recovered. Because there are no versions maintained for email archives, permanently deleted messages are unavailable after the time limit has expired or the user has manually emptied the folder.