Archiving and Restoring
When documents are no longer in active use you don't have to delete them. Archiving moves them into long-term storage while keeping them searchable and recoverable, and the Trash holds deleted items for 30 days so accidental deletions can be undone. Administrators control how archiving behaves on the Archive Settings page.
Archiving a single document
Any document can be archived from its own detail page:
- Open the document's detail page.
- Open the More menu (the ⋯ button).
- Choose Archive.
While a document is archived, Preview, Download, and Upload New Version are disabled. To bring it back, open the More menu again and choose Restore from Archive.
Archive Settings (administrators)
The Archive Settings page controls automatic archiving, retention, and storage for the whole system.
Where it lives: Management → Archive Settings. This page is governed by the Configuration view permission rather than a document permission, so it sits with the other system configuration screens.
The header shows an inbox icon and Archive Settings, with Discard and Save buttons that stay disabled until you make a change. Stat cards summarize Archived count, Pending Auto-Archive, Scheduled Purge, and the number of Rules.
Settings are split across two tabs.
Global Settings tab
Controls how and where archived documents are stored:
- Storage — choose on-premises or cloud storage, see disk usage, and set a usage threshold. Cloud mode lets you pick a storage tier (such as Azure Archive, AWS Glacier, S3 Intelligent-Tiering, or GCS Coldline).
- General, Processing, Notifications, and Access Control sections fine-tune how archiving runs and who's notified.
Rules & Triggers tab
Controls when documents are archived automatically:
- Retention — set the default number of days to keep documents.
- Policy — add rules that archive documents based on time or inactivity.
- Auto-Archive and Archive Triggers — schedule archiving (manual, daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom schedule) and see the estimated storage saved.
When you change anything, an unsaved changes banner appears. Click Save to apply your changes or Discard to undo them.
The Trash
Deleting a document doesn't remove it immediately — it goes to the Trash, where it stays for 30 days before being permanently deleted. This gives you a safety net for accidental deletions.
Where it lives: Document Explorer → Trash (requires the Trash permission).
The page header reads Trash with the reminder "Items in trash are permanently deleted after 30 days." If there's nothing in it, you'll see "Trash is empty."
The table lists each deleted item with its Name, Type, Workspace, Location, and when it was Deleted (and by whom).
Restoring from Trash
- Go to Document Explorer → Trash.
- Find the item you want back (use the search box to narrow the list).
- Click the Restore action (the undo icon) on its row. The item returns to its original location.
To restore several at once, tick their checkboxes and use Restore Selected in the footer bar.
Permanently deleting
- Click the Delete permanently action (the × icon) on a row to remove a single item for good.
- Tick several items and choose Delete Permanently to remove them in bulk.
- Use Empty Trash in the header to permanently remove everything.
Each of these asks you to confirm first, because permanent deletion cannot be undone.
Archive vs. Trash — which is which?
| Archive | Trash | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Long-term keeping of documents you may need later | Holding area for deleted documents |
| Searchable? | Yes, still part of the system | No, set aside for deletion |
| How to recover | Restore from Archive (More menu) | Restore on the Trash page |
| Time limit | Kept per retention rules | Permanently deleted after 30 days |
Tips
- Archive documents you might need again; only use Trash for things you genuinely intend to remove.
- Check the Trash before it's been 30 days if you think something was deleted by mistake — after that it's gone for good.
- Administrators should set retention and auto-archive rules so old documents are tidied away automatically instead of relying on manual archiving.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| I can't preview or download a document | It may be archived — use Restore from Archive from its More menu first. |
| A deleted document isn't in the Trash | It may have passed the 30-day limit and been permanently deleted, or you lack the Trash permission. |
| The Save button on Archive Settings is disabled | It only enables after you change a setting; there's nothing to save yet. |
| I can't open Archive Settings | It needs the Configuration view permission — ask an administrator. |
| Restore didn't put the document where I expected | Items return to their original Location shown in the Trash table. |