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Deleting a task in TimeTracker moves it to Trash. Nothing is destroyed until you take a separate, deliberate step.

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Three states, not two

Permanent deletion is a fourth action, taken from Trash, and it cannot be undone. The full model is at /concepts/archive-trash-and-delete.

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The Actions menu

Every task carries the same menu, wherever you find it – the side panel header, the full task page, or a subtask row.

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Archive a task

1

Open the task

Or find its row.
2

Open Actions and choose Archive

A confirmation appears: “Archive task?”
3

Confirm

A toast confirms “Task archived.”
Archiving takes the task off the board and out of task lists. Its time entries and history are preserved, so reports and invoices built on that work are untouched. Archive is the right choice for finished work you want out of the way but not out of the record.

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Delete a task

1

Open Actions and choose Delete

A confirmation appears: “Delete task?”
2

Read what it takes with it

The body states that nothing is destroyed yet, and where to find the task again.
3

Confirm

A toast confirms “Task moved to Trash.”
What travels with a deleted task:
  • Its subtasks, which are trashed at the same moment and stamped so a later restore reclaims exactly the ones this delete took.
  • Its comments, attachments and dependencies stay attached to the row and come back with it.
What changes immediately:
  • The task disappears from lists, boards and your day view.
  • The project’s task count drops.
  • Any task that depended on it stops showing it as a blocker.
  • Any timesheet or report built on already-recorded time is unaffected.
A deleted task returns null to every screen still watching it, so an open detail panel closes itself rather than leaving a husk of a task that is gone.

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Restore a task

1

Open Trash

Go to /settings/trash.
2

Find the task

Trash lists everything staged for deletion.
3

Choose Restore

A confirmation appears, then a toast confirms “Task restored.”
Restoring gives back everything the delete took: the subtasks that went with it, and the project’s task count. The same Restore item appears in the task’s own Actions menu when the task is archived or trashed. Restore is deliberately never blocked by an app being switched off – recovery stays reachable whatever the workspace has turned on.

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Delete permanently

Permanent deletion destroys the task, its subtasks, comments, attachments and dependencies. It cannot be undone.
1

Find the task in Trash

Permanent deletion is only offered on a task that is already trashed.
2

Choose Delete permanently

The confirmation states exactly what will be destroyed, and lists anything that still points at the task.
3

Type the task name

The confirm button stays off until the name you type matches. A copy control is provided.
4

Confirm

A toast confirms “Task permanently deleted.”

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When a permanent delete is refused

A permanent delete is refused while the financial or historical record still points at the task. The message names what is in the way – for example the number of time entries still attached. That refusal is on purpose. A system of record does not orphan a time entry to make a delete succeed.

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The retention window

A trashed task stays restorable for a limited period, then is cleaned up automatically. The default retention is 30 days. See /settings/trash for your workspace’s setting.

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Deleting several tasks at once

Select cards on the board and use Delete on the bulk bar. From 10 tasks upward the modal asks you to type the count before it lets you confirm. Each task and its subtasks move to Trash together. See /tasks/bulk-actions.

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Example

Priya Raman is tidying up Bluebird Coffee – Website Redesign after launch. She archives the 40 finished tasks. They leave the board, but the 260 hours tracked against them still appear on the project profitability report and on the invoice already sent. She then finds WR-118 Test task, created by mistake and never used. She opens it, chooses Delete, and it moves to Trash along with its one subtask. The next day she realises WR-118 had a comment worth keeping. She opens Trash, clicks Restore, and both the task and the subtask come back exactly as they were.

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Archive or delete?

When in doubt, archive. Archived work stays reportable, and you can always delete it later.

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Permissions

Members and Contractors can create and edit tasks but cannot delete them. That split is deliberate: creating work is safe, removing it is not.
If you cannot delete, the Actions menu does not offer it. The server checks again on the write.

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Common questions

No. Time entries are separate records with their own lifecycle. Moving a task to Trash does not touch the hours already recorded against it, and a permanent delete is refused while entries still point at it.
Restoring the parent brings back the subtasks that went with that delete. A subtask deleted on its own can be restored on its own.
The dependent task stops showing it as a blocker while it is in Trash. The link survives, so restoring the blocker restores the relationship.
Yes. Archive hides work from day-to-day views but keeps it reportable. Trash removes it from views and reports until restored.
Trash is a workspace surface at /settings/trash. What you can restore from it follows the same capability as deleting it.

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Troubleshooting

You do not hold task.delete, or the task is already in Trash – in which case you get Delete permanently instead.
Something still points at it, usually time entries. The message names the count. Remove or reassign those records first, or leave the task in Trash.
A permanent delete asks you to type the task name exactly. Use the copy control beside the name.
That is expected. A panel has nowhere to navigate, so it closes rather than showing a task that no longer exists.
Check the section it returned to and any active filters. Also check the project itself is not archived.

Archive, trash and delete

The model behind all three states.

Trash

Restore and permanently delete.

Archive

Everything currently archived.

Bulk actions

Delete many tasks at once.

Task permissions

Why deleting stops at Project Manager.