> ## 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 something

> Archiving hides finished clients, projects, tasks and settings from lists and pickers in TimeTracker, while keeping every hour, invoice and report intact.

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

| Situation                                              | Archive?       |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------- |
| A project shipped and you want the list clean          | Yes            |
| A client you no longer work with                       | Yes            |
| A tag you have stopped using but old tasks still carry | Yes            |
| A role nobody should be assigned any more              | Yes            |
| A test project created by accident                     | No – delete it |
| A duplicate client with no history                     | No – delete it |

## How to archive

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the item">
    Open its list – **Clients**, **Projects**, **Settings → Tags**, and so on – or open the item's own page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the actions menu">
    Click the three-dot menu on the row, or the **Actions** button on the detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Archive">
    A confirmation appears. It states exactly what archiving does to this kind of item, and where to find it again.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Archive**. A toast confirms it, for example "Project archived."
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## 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.

| Item                 | What archiving does                                                                               |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Client**           | Disappears from pickers and the client list. Its projects, invoices and history are untouched.    |
| **Project**          | Leaves the project list and pickers. Tasks, time entries, budgets and invoices are all preserved. |
| **Section**          | The stage is hidden from the board. Its tasks are untouched.                                      |
| **Task**             | Leaves the board and task lists. Its time entries and history are preserved.                      |
| **Tag**              | Leaves the tag picker. Tasks already carrying it keep it.                                         |
| **Group**            | Leaves group pickers. Its members keep their group.                                               |
| **Role**             | Can no longer be assigned. Members already holding it keep it.                                    |
| **Expense category** | Leaves the category picker. Existing expenses stay filed under it.                                |
| **Holiday**          | Stops applying to future leave calculations. Past calculations are unchanged.                     |
| **Leave policy**     | Leaves the policy picker. Existing balances and requests are preserved.                           |
| **Report**           | Leaves the report library. Restore it at any time.                                                |
| **Scheduled report** | Stops sending. The schedule is kept.                                                              |
| **Saved view**       | Leaves the saved-view list.                                                                       |

## 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.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Archive">
    It is under the **Data** group in the settings menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Search or scroll">
    Use **Search by name** to narrow the list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Restore">
    The item returns to your active lists straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 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" – $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.

| Item                     | Capability               |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| Client                   | `client.manage`          |
| Project, section         | `project.manage`         |
| Task                     | `task.delete`            |
| Tag                      | `tag.manage`             |
| Group                    | `group.manage`           |
| Role                     | `role.manage`            |
| Expense category         | `expenseCategory.manage` |
| Holiday, leave policy    | `leave.managePolicy`     |
| Report, scheduled report | `report.manage`          |
| Saved view               | `report.view`            |

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

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does archiving a project delete its tasks?">
    No. Tasks, time entries, budgets and invoices are all preserved.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can people still track time to an archived project?">
    It leaves the pickers, so it is not selectable for new work. Existing entries are untouched.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do archived items still appear in reports?">
    Yes. That is the point of archiving rather than deleting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a limit on how long something stays archived?">
    No. There is no expiry and no automatic clean-up.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I open a link to an archived project?">
    The page opens with a banner: "This project is archived. It is hidden from lists and pickers." There is a **Restore** button on the banner.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I archive a time entry?">
    No. Time entries, expenses and work schedules can only be deleted, and deletion sends them to Trash where they are still recoverable.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I archive many things at once?">
    Archive is a per-item action from the row or detail menu.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                  | Cause                                                   | Fix                                                       |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| No **Archive** in the menu               | The item cannot be archived, or you lack the capability | Time entries, expenses and schedules have **Delete** only |
| "Cannot archive this"                    | The item type has no archived state                     | Delete it instead – it goes to Trash                      |
| Cannot find something after archiving    | It is out of your active list by design                 | **Settings → Archive**, or the **Archived** filter        |
| No **Restore** button on an archived row | You lack the capability for that item type              | Ask someone who holds it                                  |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Trash and restore" icon="trash-can-arrow-up" href="/data/trash-and-restore">
    When you meant to delete, not archive.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Your data" icon="database" href="/data/overview">
    The four states, side by side.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive, trash and delete" icon="layer-group" href="/concepts/archive-trash-and-delete">
    The concept behind the system.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive a project" icon="folder-closed" href="/projects/archive-a-project">
    The project-specific walkthrough.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive or delete a client" icon="building" href="/clients/archive-or-delete-a-client">
    Retiring a client company.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Roles and capabilities" icon="shield" href="/concepts/roles-and-capabilities">
    Who can archive what.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>