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

# Archive or delete a client

> Archive a finished client, move one to the Trash, restore it, or delete it permanently – and know exactly what each option keeps and destroys.

There are three ways to retire a client, and they are not the same. Archive hides it. Delete moves it to the Trash. Delete permanently destroys the record.

| Action                 | Reversible | What it does                                                                                  |
| ---------------------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Archive**            | Yes        | Hides the client from lists and pickers. Projects, invoices and history untouched.            |
| **Delete**             | Yes        | Moves it to the Trash. Nothing is destroyed yet. It is purged when the retention window ends. |
| **Restore**            | –          | Returns the client to your active list from either state.                                     |
| **Delete permanently** | **No**     | Destroys the client record. Its projects are kept but become unassigned.                      |

Read [/concepts/archive-trash-and-delete](/concepts/archive-trash-and-delete) for how this works across the whole product.

## Archive a client

Archive when the relationship is over but the record still matters – for reporting, for old invoices, for the audit trail.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the client">
    Click it in **Clients**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Actions">
    The dropdown beside the client name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Archive">
    A confirmation modal opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read what it says, then click Archive">
    "It disappears from pickers and the client list. Its projects, invoices and history are untouched. You can restore it from Settings → Archive."
  </Step>
</Steps>

You see **"Client archived."** and land back on the client list.

### After archiving

* The client leaves the **Active** list. Switch the dropdown to **Archived** or **All** to find it.
* It disappears from the **Client** picker on projects.
* Its projects keep running. Time tracking, budgets and invoicing are unaffected.
* Opening the client's page still works and shows an archived banner with a **Restore** button.

<Note>
  Archiving is idempotent. Archiving an already-archived client changes nothing, and the original "archived on" stamp is never reset.
</Note>

## Delete a client (move to the Trash)

**Delete** is the recoverable delete. Nothing is destroyed at this point.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the client and click Actions">
    Same menu as Archive.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Delete">
    The modal explains that nothing is destroyed yet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Delete">
    You see **"Client moved to Trash."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

The client leaves every list and picker. Find it again under the **Trash** view, or at **Settings → Trash**.

<Warning>
  A trashed client is permanently deleted when the retention window ends. The default window is **30 days**, and an owner or admin can change it at [/settings/trash](/settings/trash).
</Warning>

## Restore a client

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find it">
    Switch the client list to **Archived**, **Trash** or **All**. Or use **Settings → Archive** / **Settings → Trash**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open it and click Restore">
    Either from the **Actions** menu, or from the **Restore** button on the banner at the top of the page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    You see **"Client restored."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

Restoring always returns the client to **Active**, never to the other retired state. Restoring from the Trash gives you a usable client, not an archived one.

## Delete a client permanently

This is the only option that destroys anything. It is available **only** while the client is in the Trash.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Switch the list to Trash and open the client">
    Or reach it from **Settings → Trash**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Actions → Delete permanently">
    The modal states exactly what will be destroyed, and lists what still points at the client.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type the client name to match">
    The name is shown ready to copy, with a copy button. The **Delete permanently** button stays disabled until what you type matches exactly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Delete permanently">
    You see **"Client permanently deleted."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What a permanent delete destroys

> The client record is destroyed. Its projects are kept but become unassigned. This cannot be undone.

Projects survive. They lose their client link, and you can point them at another client afterwards.

### When TimeTracker refuses

A client that is still referenced by the financial record **cannot** be permanently deleted.

| Reference | Blocks a permanent delete?      |
| --------- | ------------------------------- |
| Invoices  | **Yes**                         |
| Projects  | No – reported, but not blocking |

If invoices exist, you see a message naming the exact count, such as *"this client still has 6 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead."*

This is by design. A system of record does not orphan an invoice to make a delete succeed.

## Example

Fenwick Legal winds down. Northwind Studio has finished **Brand Refresh** and already invoiced it.

1. Tom Whitfield opens Fenwick Legal and clicks **Actions → Archive**.
2. Fenwick Legal drops out of the client list and out of the project **Client** picker.
3. Reports on last year's revenue still include Fenwick Legal.
4. Six months later Tom tries **Delete permanently**. TimeTracker refuses – three invoices still reference the client. Archive stays the right answer, and Tom leaves it archived.

## Permissions

| Action             | Capability      |
| ------------------ | --------------- |
| Archive            | `client.manage` |
| Delete (to Trash)  | `client.manage` |
| Restore            | `client.manage` |
| Delete permanently | `client.manage` |

Without `client.manage` the **Actions** menu does not render at all.

<Note>
  **Restore** deliberately stays reachable even if the Projects & tasks app has been switched off. Recovery must never depend on a toggle.
</Note>

## What happens next

| After              | Effect                                                        |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Archive            | Hidden from lists and pickers. Everything else keeps working. |
| Delete             | Hidden everywhere. Purge countdown starts.                    |
| Restore            | Back in the active list, exactly as it was.                   |
| Delete permanently | Record gone. Its projects become unassigned.                  |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does archiving a client archive its projects?">
    No. Archiving a client only hides the client. Its projects stay active. Archive each project separately if you want them out of the way too.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do time entries survive?">
    Yes, in every case. Time entries belong to tasks and projects, not to the client, and no client transition touches them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where do I find everything I archived?">
    **Settings → Archive** lists every archived record in the workspace. **Settings → Trash** lists everything waiting to be purged.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long do I have to change my mind after Delete?">
    Until the retention window ends – 30 days by default. See [/settings/trash](/settings/trash).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I delete a client that has projects?">
    Yes – both Archive and Delete work. **Delete permanently** keeps the projects and unassigns them, but it is blocked entirely while invoices exist.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do archived clients still appear in reports?">
    Yes. Archiving keeps a record reportable. That is the whole point of archiving instead of deleting.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Message                                                                        | Meaning                                          | Fix                                                 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| "…still has N invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead." | The financial record still points at this client | Archive it, or void and remove the invoices first   |
| The **Delete permanently** button stays disabled                               | The typed name does not match                    | Use the copy button beside the name, then paste     |
| **Delete permanently** is not in the menu                                      | The client is not in the Trash                   | Delete it first, then reopen it from the Trash view |
| No **Actions** menu at all                                                     | You lack `client.manage`                         | Ask an admin for **Manage clients**                 |
| A restored client is still missing                                             | You are looking at the Archived view             | Switch back to **Active**                           |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Archive, Trash and Delete" icon="archive" href="/concepts/archive-trash-and-delete">
    How the lifecycle works everywhere.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings → Trash" icon="trash" href="/settings/trash">
    The retention window and bulk restore.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings → Archive" icon="box" href="/settings/archive">
    Everything you have archived.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive a project" icon="folder" href="/projects/archive-a-project">
    The same idea, one level down.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client details" icon="pencil" href="/clients/client-details">
    Where the Actions menu lives.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>