Do I really need to keep work text messages and chats, or is it true that only formal emails are considered records?

It is a common myth that “only formal emails count.” In reality, whether something is a record depends on its content and function, not on the channel it traveled through or how formal it looks. A text message, a chat thread, or a comment in a collaboration tool can absolutely be a record if it documents a decision, a transaction, or activity that your organization is obligated to capture.

What actually makes something a record

A record is information created or received in the course of business that has continuing value as evidence of activities, decisions, or obligations. This principle applies regardless of format. The questions to ask are:

• Does it document a decision, approval, commitment, or transaction?
• Does it provide evidence of business activity or fulfill a legal, regulatory, or operational obligation?
• Would the organization need it to reconstruct what happened?

If the answer is yes, the message is a record even if it lives in a texting app or chat platform. If it is purely casual (“running 5 minutes late”), it usually is not.

Why the channel does not decide it

Format-neutrality is a core records management principle: the medium does not determine record status. A business decision made over text is just as much a record as the same decision made in email. Treating only “formal” communications as records creates serious gaps, because increasingly substantive work happens in messaging and chat. Those gaps can become real problems during audits, litigation, public-records requests, or investigations.

What this means in practice

You do not have to keep every message. You do need to:

• Identify which messaging and chat content qualifies as a record based on content.
• Capture and retain that content under the same retention rules that apply to comparable records in other formats.
• Follow your organization’s policy on approved channels, so business records are not stranded in unmanaged personal apps.

The safest mindset is “manage by content, not by channel.” When in doubt, evaluate the substance of the communication against your retention schedule.

To explore related guidance, see the email and messaging topic hub.