Skip to main content
Archiving takes something out of your day-to-day lists without touching its history. Use it for work that is finished, not for things you want gone.

​
What archiving does

An archived item:
  • disappears from lists and from every picker
  • keeps all of its history – tasks, time entries, budgets, invoices, comments
  • still appears in reports
  • still opens if you follow a direct link, with a banner explaining its state
  • can be restored at any time, with no expiry
An archived item is not deleted, and it never becomes a delete on its own.

​
When to archive

​
How to archive

1

Find the item

Open its list – Clients, Projects, Settings → Tags, and so on – or open the item’s own page.
2

Open the actions menu

Click the three-dot menu on the row, or the Actions button on the detail page.
3

Choose Archive

A confirmation appears. It states exactly what archiving does to this kind of item, and where to find it again.
4

Confirm

Click Archive. A toast confirms it, for example “Project archived.”
Archive is a plain confirmation – there is no name to type. Only permanent deletion asks you to type a matching name, because only permanent deletion cannot be undone.

​
What archiving means, item by item

The confirmation modal tells you the truth for the item in front of you. Here is the same information in one place.

​
What cannot be archived

Three kinds of record have no archived state, because they carry their own status workflow. They can only be deleted, and deletion sends them to Trash where they stay recoverable.
  • Time entries
  • Expenses
  • Work schedules
For these, the actions menu shows Delete with no Archive, and the list filter offers Active, Trash and All but not Archived.

​
Find and restore an archived item

Two ways: From the list. Every entity list has a scope filter. Switch it from Active to Archived and the archived rows appear. From Settings. Open Settings → Archive. Every archived item in the workspace is there, grouped by type, with a count on each group and a search box. Each row shows the date it was archived, and a Restore button.
1

Open Settings → Archive

It is under the Data group in the settings menu.
2

Search or scroll

Use Search by name to narrow the list.
3

Click Restore

The item returns to your active lists straight away.

​
Example

Northwind Studio finishes the Bluebird Coffee Website Redesign.
  1. Priya opens Projects, clicks the three-dot menu on the project, and chooses Archive.
  2. The confirmation says: “It leaves the project list and pickers. Tasks, time entries, budgets and invoices are all preserved. You can restore it from Settings → Archive.”
  3. She confirms. The project leaves the list.
  4. Sarah’s 3 hours on “Homepage wireframes” – 300billable,300 billable, 135 cost, $165 margin – stay exactly where they were, and still count in the Bluebird profitability report.
  5. In November, Bluebird asks for a phase two. Tom opens Settings → Archive, searches “Website”, and clicks Restore.

​
Permissions

Archiving uses the same permission that governs the item itself. If you do not hold the capability, the actions menu does not offer Archive, and the row in Settings → Archive has no Restore button. Restoring is never blocked by a switched-off app. If Expenses is turned off, you can still restore something that belongs to it – restoring creates nothing, it only puts back what the workspace already owns.

​
What happens next

  • The item stops appearing in pickers immediately, for everyone.
  • Reports that include historical data still include it.
  • Archiving a project notifies its members. Other archives are silent.
  • Nothing expires. An archived item stays archived until someone restores or deletes it.

​
Common questions

No. Tasks, time entries, budgets and invoices are all preserved.
It leaves the pickers, so it is not selectable for new work. Existing entries are untouched.
Yes. That is the point of archiving rather than deleting.
No. There is no expiry and no automatic clean-up.
No. Time entries, expenses and work schedules can only be deleted, and deletion sends them to Trash where they are still recoverable.
Archive is a per-item action from the row or detail menu.

​
Troubleshooting

Trash and restore

When you meant to delete, not archive.

Your data

The four states, side by side.

Archive, trash and delete

The concept behind the system.

Archive a project

The project-specific walkthrough.

Archive or delete a client

Retiring a client company.

Roles and capabilities

Who can archive what.