Skip to main content
TimeTracker has one system for retiring things and one for taking them out. Every client, project, task, tag, report and setting follows the same rules, so “where did it go” always has the same answer.

​
The four states

Deleting something in TimeTracker moves it to Trash. It is not destroyed at that moment. That is what makes an accidental delete – especially a bulk one – recoverable in a system that records time and money.

​
Archive vs Trash

This is the distinction to hold on to. Archiving a project does not touch its tasks, time entries, budgets or invoices. It only takes the project out of your day-to-day lists.

​
Where to find things

Every entity list also carries a filter: Active, Archived, Trash, All. The wording and the placement are the same on every screen.

​
What can be archived

Most things can be archived. A few are recorded transactions with their own status workflow, so they go straight to Trash instead.

​
Retention

Items in the Trash are kept for 30 days by default, then permanently deleted by a nightly sweep. You can set the window to 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days at Settings → Trash. Anything still referenced by the financial or historical record is kept regardless. The sweep never orphans an invoice line to make a delete succeed.

​
Example

Northwind Studio finishes the Bluebird Coffee Website Redesign.
  1. Priya archives the project. It leaves the project list and every picker.
  2. Sarah’s 3 hours on “Homepage wireframes” are still there, still worth $300, and still on the client’s profitability report.
  3. Six months later, Tom looks for the project. He finds it in Settings → Archive and restores it in one click.
Compare that with a mistake:
  1. Tom deletes the wrong tag. It moves to Trash.
  2. He opens Settings → Trash, sees “Deleted 12/06/2026 · deletes 12/07/2026”, and clicks Restore.
  3. Every task that carried the tag has it back.

​
Permissions

There is no single “delete” permission. Each kind of thing uses the permission that already governs it. Archive and Trash are visible to everyone. They are recovery screens, and each one only lists actions you are allowed to take. Hiding them would recreate the exact problem they exist to solve.

​
What happens next

  • An archived item keeps working in reports and history.
  • A trashed item disappears from everything until you restore it.
  • A permanently deleted item is gone, and its confirmation modal says so.

​
Common questions

No. Archiving hides. Tasks, hours, budgets and invoices are all preserved.
No. Delete moves an item to Trash. Delete permanently destroys it, and only appears for items already in the Trash.
No. Once it is purged it is gone. Set a longer window if 30 days is too short for you.
Yes. Archiving is not deleting, and the history stays reportable.
Restoring still works. Recovery is never blocked by a switched-off app.

​
Troubleshooting

Archive something

Hide finished work without losing it.

Trash and restore

Recover a delete, and set retention.

Delete permanently

The irreversible step, and what blocks it.

Export your data

Take a complete copy with you.

Archive, trash and delete

The concept behind all of it.

Roles and capabilities

Who is allowed to retire what.