Archive and delete
Archive and delete are the two ways to remove a project from your active list. They are not interchangeable — archive removes the project from the active project list but does not delete it, while delete completely removes the project and its data. Both live on the project dashboard's Settings menu (gear icon).
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
- Archive a project and restore it later
- Delete a project, understanding that the action is permanent
- Choose archive when the project may matter again, delete only when you are certain it will not
Archive
Archiving moves a project out of the My Projects list while retaining all its data. Archived projects:
- Do not appear in the default project view
- Can be restored from the archive list at any time
- Retain their sharing assignments (so a restored project comes back with the same collaborators)
- Are not analyzed in any cross-project view
Archive is the right choice when:
- The project is finished but the data may be relevant later (audit trail, reference, future related work)
- You want to declutter My Projects without committing to losing the data
- You're handing the project off and want it out of your view but not gone
Restoring from archive
The My Projects panel's settings menu has a Restore option that opens the archived list, where you can pick a project to bring back. A restored project returns to My Projects in the state it was archived in — same data, same shares, same result sets.
Delete
Deleting a project permanently removes it and all associated data. Result sets, drawings, analysis history, and sharing assignments are all destroyed. This action cannot be undone.
Delete is the right choice only when:
- You are certain the data will never be needed again
- The project was a sandbox or test that should not persist
- Compliance or retention policy requires destruction rather than archive
When in doubt, archive instead of delete. Restoring an archive is trivial; recovering a deleted project is impossible.
Choosing between them
| Question | Archive | Delete |
|---|---|---|
| Could this data conceivably matter again? | Yes — archive | No — delete |
| Is this a personal sandbox you'll never look at again? | Either is fine | Delete |
| Is there a compliance or retention policy? | Check policy | Check policy |
| Are you sure? | A 90% answer is fine | Has to be 100% |
The cost of archive-when-you-could-have-deleted is a slightly longer archive list. The cost of delete-when-you-should-have-archived is permanent data loss. Default to archive.
Try it
Create a throw-away project, archive it from the dashboard's Settings menu, and confirm it leaves My Projects. Restore it from the My Projects settings → Restore flow and confirm it returns. Now delete the project and confirm it is gone — no archive entry, no recovery option.
Related
- Capability reference: Projects — the Settings menu houses both Archive and Delete
- Copy — for preserving a state before a major change
- Export and import — for taking a project out of Siter entirely as a snapshot