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Permanent deletion destroys a record. It is the only action in TimeTracker that cannot be undone, so it lives in one place – Settings → Trash – and it asks you to type the item’s name before it will run.
There is no recovery after a permanent delete. If you are not certain, restore the item and archive it instead.

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When it applies

Delete permanently appears only for items that are already in the Trash. You cannot skip the Trash. The normal path is:
You would use it when you need something gone now rather than at the end of the retention window – a duplicate client created by mistake, a test project, an old saved view.

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How to delete permanently

1

Open Settings → Trash

Under the Data group in the settings menu.
2

Find the item

Items are grouped by type. Use Search by name to narrow it down.
3

Click the bin icon on the row

It is labelled “Permanently delete”, followed by the item’s name.
4

Read what will be destroyed

The modal states exactly what goes, for this kind of item, and that it cannot be undone. If anything still points at the item, the modal lists it – “It is referenced by 412 time entries, 3 invoices.”
5

Type the name to confirm

The item’s name is shown in a small copy-ready chip with a copy button. Copy it, paste it into the field, and the Delete permanently button enables.
6

Confirm

Click Delete permanently. A toast confirms: “Permanently deleted.”

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The typed confirmation

For irreversible actions, TimeTracker will not let a single click destroy anything.
  • The name is displayed as a ready-to-copy string, with a copy-to-clipboard button.
  • The confirm button stays disabled until what you type matches exactly.
  • Extra spaces around a pasted value are ignored, so a paste that picks up a trailing space still works.
The same gate protects deleting a workspace.

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What is destroyed

The modal tells you the truth for the item in front of you. Here it is in one table.

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Why a delete can be refused

Some records are protected. A system of record for time and money does not orphan an invoice line to make a delete succeed. If something in the financial or historical record still points at the item, the delete is refused with the real numbers:
This project still has 412 time entries, 3 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead.

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What blocks a permanent delete

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What is reported but does not block

These are counted and shown in the modal so you know the stakes, then handled by the delete itself.
If a delete is refused, the right move is almost always to archive the item. Archiving hides it from every list and picker, keeps the financial record whole, and lasts forever.

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Automatic permanent deletion

You do not have to do this by hand. A nightly sweep permanently deletes items whose retention window has ended – 30 days by default, configurable from 7 to 90 at Settings → Trash. The sweep follows the same rules. An item it cannot destroy is kept in the Trash, not force-deleted.

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Example

Tom created a duplicate client, Bluebird Coffee (old), with nothing attached to it.
  1. He deletes it. It moves to Trash.
  2. He opens Settings → Trash, finds it under Clients, and clicks the bin icon.
  3. The modal says: “The client record is destroyed. Its projects are kept but become unassigned. This cannot be undone.”
  4. He copies Bluebird Coffee (old) from the chip, pastes it, and confirms.
Now compare the real Bluebird Coffee, which has 3 invoices:
  1. Tom tries the same thing.
  2. The modal warns “It is referenced by 3 invoices.”
  3. He confirms anyway, and the delete is refused: “this client still has 3 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead.”
  4. He restores it and archives it instead. Bluebird leaves every picker, and the invoices stay whole.

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Permissions

Permanent deletion uses the same capability as deleting the item in the first place. See the table on Trash and restore. Two extra rules apply to permanent deletion specifically:
  • The app that owns the item must be on. If Expenses is switched off, you cannot permanently delete an expense. (Restoring is still allowed – recovery is never blocked by an app switch.)
  • Deleting the whole workspace is a separate, owner-only action. See Delete a workspace.

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What happens next

  • The record is gone. It does not appear in the Trash, in reports, or anywhere else.
  • Dependants handled by the delete go with it – a project’s tasks, a tag’s assignments.
  • Records that were only reported stay: a deleted client’s projects survive as unassigned.
  • The action is written to the workspace audit trail.

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Common questions

No. That is the definition of it. Restore and archive instead if you are unsure.
Because the action cannot be undone. Typing a matching name is what stops a mis-click destroying a record.
No. Everything goes through the Trash.
Because those hours are part of your financial history. Archive the project instead.
Deal with the records that point at it first – for example void or remove the invoices and time entries – then the delete is allowed. Consider whether archiving does what you need.
No. Seats count people, not records. See Seats.
Yes. It is written to the audit trail, with who did it and when.

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Troubleshooting

Trash and restore

Getting something back before this step.

Archive something

The safe alternative for finished work.

Delete a workspace

The one bigger irreversible action.

Your data

All four states in one place.

Archive, trash and delete

The concept behind the system.

Export your data

Take a copy before you destroy anything.