> ## 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.

# Trash and restore

> Deleted items in TimeTracker go to Trash first. Restore them from Settings, choose how long they are kept, and see the date each one is permanently deleted.

When you delete something in TimeTracker, it moves to **Trash**. Nothing is destroyed at that moment. You can put it back.

## What Trash is

Trash is a staging area between "delete" and "gone". It exists because an accidental delete – especially a bulk one – has to be recoverable in a system that records time and money.

A trashed item:

* is hidden everywhere: lists, pickers, boards, search
* keeps all of its data while it is in the Trash
* shows the date it will be permanently deleted
* can be restored by anyone with the right permission
* is permanently deleted when the retention window ends

## How to delete something

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

  <Step title="Choose Delete">
    A confirmation appears. It says what would eventually be destroyed, that nothing is destroyed yet, and where to find the item again.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Delete**. A toast confirms, for example "Task moved to Trash."
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Delete** is reversible, so it is a plain confirmation. **Delete permanently** is not, so it asks you to type a matching name. See [Delete permanently](/data/delete-permanently).
</Note>

## How to restore something

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

  <Step title="Find the item">
    Items are grouped by type, with a count on each group. Use **Search by name** to narrow it down.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the dates">
    Each row shows when it was deleted and when it will be permanently deleted, like "Deleted 12/06/2026 · deletes 12/07/2026".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Restore">
    The item returns to your active lists immediately. Anything the delete took with it comes back too.
  </Step>
</Steps>

You can also restore from a list. Switch the scope filter from **Active** to **Trash**, then use the row's actions menu. Opening a trashed item's own page shows a banner with a **Restore** button.

<Tip>
  Restoring gives back everything the delete took with it. Deleting a task takes its subtasks; restoring the task brings them back.
</Tip>

## Set how long items are kept

At the top of **Settings → Trash** is **Keep deleted items for**.

| Option      |             |
| ----------- | ----------- |
| 7 days      |             |
| 14 days     |             |
| **30 days** | The default |
| 60 days     |             |
| 90 days     |             |

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Trash">
    The retention card is above the list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a window">
    Choose from the dropdown.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    A **Save** button appears once you change the value. A toast confirms: "Deleted items are now kept for 60 days."
  </Step>
</Steps>

This setting needs the `workspace.updateSettings` capability – owners and admins by default. Everyone else sees the current value but cannot change it.

There is no single right answer. A team that deletes rarely wants a long window; a team with data-retention obligations may need a short one.

## What happens when the window ends

A nightly sweep permanently deletes trashed items whose window has elapsed. Two rules govern it:

1. **Anything still referenced by the financial or historical record is kept, not force-deleted.** Time passing is not a reason to orphan an invoice line. Those items stay in the Trash.
2. **The sweep destroys exactly what a manual permanent delete would.** A scheduled destruction and a hand-triggered one leave the workspace in the same shape.

So an item can sit in the Trash past its date. That means something still points at it. See [Delete permanently](/data/delete-permanently) for what blocks a purge and what to do about it.

## Example

Tom Whitfield deletes the wrong tag while tidying up Northwind Studio.

1. He clicks **Delete** on the tag. The confirmation says "Nothing is destroyed yet – the tag is destroyed and removed from every task that carries it. You can restore it from Settings → Trash until it is permanently deleted."
2. The tag disappears from the tag picker and from every task.
3. Two days later Priya asks where it went.
4. Tom opens **Settings → Trash**, types "brand" in the search box, and finds the row: "Deleted 12/06/2026 · deletes 12/07/2026".
5. He clicks **Restore**. Every task that carried the tag has it back.

## Permissions

Deleting and restoring use 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`              |
| Work schedule               | `schedule.manage`          |
| Time entry                  | `time.edit`                |
| Expense                     | `expense.submit`           |
| Change the retention window | `workspace.updateSettings` |

**Settings → Trash** is visible to everyone, on purpose. It is a recovery screen, and it only offers **Restore** and **Delete permanently** on rows you are allowed to act on.

**Restoring is never blocked by a switched-off app.** If Expenses is turned off, an expense in the Trash can still be restored – otherwise it would be stranded until an admin re-enabled a whole app.

## What happens next

* A restored item is back in every list and picker straight away.
* A restored item's history was never lost, so nothing has to be re-entered.
* An item left in the Trash is permanently deleted when its window ends, unless something still references it.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is Delete the same as permanent delete?">
    No. **Delete** moves an item to Trash. **Delete permanently** appears only for items already in the Trash, and cannot be undone.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long do I have to change my mind?">
    As long as your retention window – 30 days by default, up to 90.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the retention window apply to items already in the Trash?">
    Yes. The window is measured from the date each item was deleted, against the current setting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I empty the Trash?">
    You can permanently delete items one at a time from **Settings → Trash**. Anything still referenced by the financial record is refused.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do trashed items appear in reports?">
    No. A trashed item is hidden everywhere until it is restored.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Something is past its delete date and still there. Why?">
    Something in the financial or historical record still points at it, so the sweep kept it rather than orphaning that record.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I recover an item after it has been permanently deleted?">
    No. That is the one irreversible step.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                           | Cause                                                 | Fix                                                |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| "Couldn't restore this item"                      | You lack the capability, or the item is gone          | Check with someone who holds the capability        |
| The item is not in the Trash                      | It was archived, not deleted                          | Check **Settings → Archive**                       |
| No **Restore** button on a row                    | You lack the capability for that item type            | Ask someone who holds it                           |
| **Save** does not appear on the retention setting | You lack `workspace.updateSettings`                   | Ask an owner or admin                              |
| Trash keeps growing                               | The window is long, or items are blocked from purging | Lower the window, or clear the blocking references |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Delete permanently" icon="trash" href="/data/delete-permanently">
    The irreversible step, and what refuses it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive something" icon="box-archive" href="/data/archive-something">
    Hide finished work instead of deleting it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Your data" icon="database" href="/data/overview">
    All four states in one place.
  </Card>

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

  <Card title="Delete and restore a task" icon="list-check" href="/tasks/delete-and-restore-a-task">
    The task-specific walkthrough.
  </Card>

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