What is new in Google Vault?
Since 22 October 2026, Google Vault supports filtered eDiscovery exports for Gemini in Workspace. This adds a new data source: administrators can filter and export their users' Gemini conversations in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet within Vault's existing security controls and privacy provisions. Vault already had a separate service for the standalone Gemini app; what is new is coverage of Gemini conversations embedded in Workspace apps.
Google describes Vault as a central tool for governing and exporting Workspace data to meet legal and regulatory obligations. With this update, AI conversations can be included in the same eDiscovery workflows as emails or files.
What does the export contain?
Matching conversation histories are exported in JSON format via the Vault UI or API. According to Google, the metadata tags align with the GenAI conversation format used for the Gemini app. The export includes context: user prompts, AI responses, generated attachments such as images, links to referenced Workspace files such as Drive documents or Gmail threads, and citations.
Important when assessing it: linked files are references, not automatic copies. If you need the full content of a referenced document, search and export it separately via the relevant Vault service. This is an inference from Google's description, not an explicit statement by Google.
- Filter by accounts or organisational units, up to 5,000 users
- Date range with time zone selection
Which editions and settings are required?
According to Google, the feature is available in Business Plus, Frontline Standard and Plus, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Education Fundamentals, Standard and Plus, and with the Vault add-on. Rapid and Scheduled Release domains have it now. There is no end-user setting.
Only Gemini conversations created while conversation history was turned on are captured. Admins control history and deletion per organisational unit in the Admin console, for example by preventing manual deletion by users or setting automatic deletion after a period of inactivity. These settings therefore determine what Vault can find later.
How does an export work?
In Vault, admins start the export directly from the Search tab by selecting Gemini in Workspace in the newly alphabetised service dropdown, entering filters and clicking Export. For Vault API users, Google says support follows within 14 days of the UI rollout.
The general rules from the Vault help also apply to all Vault exports: whoever searches and exports needs the Manage Matters, Manage Searches and Manage Exports privileges. If multi-party approval for exports is turned on, a second admin must approve, but only for exports from the UI, not via the API. At most 20 exports may run at the same time across the organisation, and export files are available for 15 days.
- With a data region policy: select the data region for the export.
- Large exports stop after 24 hours with partial results and can be continued.
What is still missing?
Google only announces retention rules and litigation holds for Gemini in Workspace for future releases. Until then, the availability of Gemini conversations depends on history and deletion settings in the Admin console. If you have a retention obligation or an ongoing matter, assess this gap with your legal team or data protection officer before relying on Vault.
What should admins do now?
Check your edition and release track first, then the Gemini history settings per organisational unit, because without history there is nothing to export. Decide who holds Vault privileges, whether multi-party approval should be on and in which data region exports land. A test export for a small pilot group shows what the JSON looks like and whether your review tools can process it.
Do users need to change anything? No, there is no end-user setting. Are chats from the Gemini app included? The Gemini app has its own service in Vault; the new capability covers Gemini in Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet. Are litigation holds available yet? No, Google says they will follow later. The free AI System Check helps organise your Gemini rollout and controls. These notes are suggestions, not customer results.
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