> ## 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.

# Delete a project

> Move a TimeTracker project to the Trash, restore it, or delete it permanently with the type-to-confirm gate – and know exactly what each step destroys.

Deleting a project happens in two steps, and only the second one destroys anything.

| Step                   | What it does                                          | Reversible |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| **Delete**             | Moves the project to the Trash. Nothing is destroyed. | Yes        |
| **Delete permanently** | Destroys the project and everything in it.            | **No**     |

If the project is finished, archive it instead. See [/projects/archive-a-project](/projects/archive-a-project).

## Step 1 – Delete (move to the Trash)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the project">
    Click it in **Projects**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Actions → Delete">
    A confirmation modal opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read what it says">
    "Nothing is destroyed yet – the project and every task, section and comment in it are destroyed. You can restore it from Settings → Trash until it is permanently deleted."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Delete">
    You see **"Project moved to Trash."** and land back on the project list.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What Delete actually does

Nothing is destroyed and nothing is detached.

| Thing                 | Effect                                  |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| The project           | Leaves every list and picker            |
| Tasks and sections    | Kept, hidden with the project           |
| Time entries          | Kept, untouched                         |
| Budget and financials | Kept, untouched                         |
| Invoices              | Kept, untouched                         |
| Restore               | Exact – everything comes back as it was |

<Warning>
  A trashed project is permanently deleted when the retention window ends. The default window is **30 days**, and an owner or admin can change it at [/settings/trash](/settings/trash).
</Warning>

## Restore from the Trash

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find it">
    Switch the project list to **Trash** or **All**, or open **Settings → Trash**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the project and click Restore">
    Either on the banner at the top, or from **Actions → Restore**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    You see **"Project restored."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

Restoring always returns the project to **Active**, never to Archived. It gives back whatever the deletion took with it – hidden tasks, the task counters – then flips the project back.

The banner on a trashed project reads:

> **This project is in the Trash.**
> It is hidden everywhere and will be permanently deleted when the retention window ends.

## Step 2 – Delete permanently

This is irreversible and only available while the project is in the Trash.

### The type-to-confirm gate

Because a permanent project delete destroys real work, the confirmation modal will not let you click through it by reflex.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Switch the list to Trash and open the project">
    Or reach it from **Settings → Trash**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Actions → Delete permanently">
    The modal states what will be destroyed, and lists what still references the project – for example "412 time entries, 3 invoices".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the project name">
    The name is shown in a chip with a copy button beside it. Click the copy icon and you see **"Copied to clipboard."**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type or paste it into the field">
    The field is labelled *Type "Website Redesign" to confirm*. The **Delete permanently** button stays disabled until it matches exactly. Leading and trailing spaces are ignored.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Delete permanently">
    You see **"Project permanently deleted."**
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What a permanent delete destroys

> The project and every task, section and comment in it are destroyed. This cannot be undone.

There is no restore, no undo and no support recovery.

## When TimeTracker refuses

A project referenced by the financial or historical record **cannot** be permanently deleted, no matter what you type.

| Reference        | Blocks a permanent delete?                   |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Time entries** | **Yes**                                      |
| **Invoices**     | **Yes**                                      |
| **Expenses**     | **Yes**                                      |
| Tasks            | No – reported in the modal, but not blocking |

If any of those exist you see a message naming the exact counts:

> "this project still has 412 time entries, 3 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead."

<Note>
  This is deliberate. A system of record does not orphan a time entry or an invoice line to make a delete succeed. In practice, any project people actually worked on will always refuse – and archiving is the right answer for it anyway.
</Note>

## Example

Priya created **Websiet Redesign** by mistake – a typo, a blank project with no tasks and no time.

1. She opens it and clicks **Actions → Delete**. The toast reads *"Project moved to Trash."*
2. It disappears from every list and picker.
3. She switches the list to **Trash**, opens it, and clicks **Actions → Delete permanently**.
4. The modal reports no blocking references. She clicks the copy icon beside `Websiet Redesign`, pastes it into the field, and the button enables.
5. She clicks **Delete permanently**. The typo is gone for good.

Contrast that with **Brand Refresh**, which shipped and was invoiced. Tom trashes it, then tries a permanent delete. TimeTracker refuses – 118 time entries and 3 invoices still point at it. He restores it and archives it instead.

## Permissions

| Action             | Capability       |
| ------------------ | ---------------- |
| Delete (to Trash)  | `project.manage` |
| Restore            | `project.manage` |
| Delete permanently | `project.manage` |

Without `project.manage` the **Actions** menu does not render.

<Note>
  **Restore** deliberately works even when the Projects & tasks app is switched off. Recovery must never depend on a toggle.
</Note>

## Choosing between Archive and Delete

| You want to                                            | Use                                                                  |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Retire finished work but keep the record               | **Archive**                                                          |
| Remove a mistake, a duplicate or an empty test project | **Delete**, then **Delete permanently**                              |
| Free up your list without losing history               | **Archive**                                                          |
| Comply with a genuine data-erasure request             | **Delete permanently** – but only if nothing financial references it |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How long do I have to change my mind?">
    Until the retention window ends – 30 days by default. Change it at [/settings/trash](/settings/trash).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does deleting a project delete its time entries?">
    Not on the first step – nothing is destroyed. A **permanent** delete would, which is exactly why time entries block it entirely.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is Delete permanently missing from the menu?">
    It only appears for a project already in the Trash. Delete it first, then reopen it from the Trash view.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is the confirm button still disabled?">
    What you typed does not match the project name. Use the copy button beside the name, then paste.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I bulk delete projects?">
    Delete them one at a time. Each permanent delete requires its own typed confirmation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to the client?">
    Nothing. The client record is untouched. If it was the client's last visible project, scoped roles may lose sight of the client – see [/projects/project-visibility](/projects/project-visibility).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a way to recover after a permanent delete?">
    No. That is what "permanent" means, and why the gate exists.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Message                                                                                          | Meaning                                                                            | Fix                                                   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| "…still has 412 time entries, 3 invoices and cannot be permanently deleted. Archive it instead." | The record still references the project                                            | Restore it and archive it                             |
| The **Delete permanently** button stays disabled                                                 | The typed name does not match                                                      | Use the copy button, then paste                       |
| **Delete permanently** is not in the menu                                                        | The project is not in the Trash                                                    | Delete it first                                       |
| No **Actions** menu                                                                              | You lack `project.manage`                                                          | Ask an admin                                          |
| A deleted project is still in reports                                                            | You are looking at data captured before the delete, or the project is only trashed | Check the project list on the **All** view            |
| The project vanished before I deleted it                                                         | Someone else deleted or archived it                                                | Check **Settings → Trash** and **Settings → Archive** |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Archive a project" icon="archive" href="/projects/archive-a-project">
    Usually the right answer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Archive, Trash and Delete" icon="recycle" href="/concepts/archive-trash-and-delete">
    The model, product wide.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings → Trash" icon="trash" href="/settings/trash">
    The retention window.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project permissions" icon="lock" href="/projects/project-permissions">
    Who can delete.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delete and restore a task" icon="list-check" href="/tasks/delete-and-restore-a-task">
    The same idea, one level down.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>