> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://collabase.ch/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Collabase documentation. Interface labels are quoted in English, as they appear in the product.
> Features marked Enterprise need the Collabase Enterprise Edition licence.

# Data retention

> What Collabase deletes on its own and after how long: trash, sign-in entries, AI chats, mail logs and locked accounts, and what it keeps until you act.

export const role_0 = "System administrator"

export const edition_0 = "All editions"

Collabase deletes some data on its own after a fixed time, and keeps everything else until someone deletes it. This page lists both, so you can answer a data protection question or a question like "can we still get this back?" without searching through every screen.

**Who can do this?**

| | |
| - | - |
| **Role** | {role_0} |
| **Edition** | {edition_0} |

None of the periods on this page can be changed on a screen, except the one for locked accounts. Most of it is removed by a maintenance job that runs every five minutes and deletes in batches, so a large backlog takes several runs.

***

<h2 id="automatic-deletion">
  What Collabase deletes on its own
</h2>

| Data | Kept for | Then | Where it is described |
| - | - | - | - |
| Deleted projects and work items in the trash | 30 days after deletion | Deleted for good. Until the job reaches an item, you can still restore it. | [Trash](/docs/admin/backup#trash) |
| Sign-in, failed sign-in and sign-out entries in the audit log | 180 days | Deleted. All other audit entries stay. | [Audit log](/docs/admin/audit-log#retention) |
| Saved CollabaseAI chats | 30 days | Deleted for good | [CollabaseAI](/docs/concepts/collabase-ai) |
| Notifications, read, unread or archived, and their mail summaries | 90 days after they were created | Deleted. Newer entries are never touched. | [Notification data](#notification-data) |
| The list of recent mails of the inbound mailbox | 90 days | Deleted. It holds no mail addresses. | [Inbound mailbox](/docs/admin/inbound-mail) |
| Locked accounts | 30 days by default, 1 to 3,650 days | Anonymized: name, mail address and sign-in methods are removed, content stays | [Locked accounts](/docs/admin/security-policies#locked-accounts) |
| The log of the search index | The last 50 lines | Older lines are dropped | [Search index](/docs/admin/system-settings#search-index) |

<h2 id="kept-until-deleted">
  What Collabase keeps until you act
</h2>

| Data | How it is removed |
| - | - |
| Deleted Spaces and pages in the trash | They have no expiry date. They stay in the trash until you restore them or delete them for good. |
| All other audit log entries | Never removed by Collabase |
| PDF export history | By hand, with **Clear >30 Days** under **Administration → Export History**. See [Export history](/docs/admin/templates-and-exports#export-history). |
| Content of anonymized accounts | Pages, work items and comments stay and show the name followed by `(deleted)` |

***

<h2 id="notification-data">
  Notification data
</h2>

A nightly job deletes notifications 90 days after they were created, whether they were read or not. On the first run after an update it works through a large backlog in portions and picks up the rest the next night.

When an account is deleted, its inbox, its notification settings and its pending summary mails are removed. In the inboxes of other people, the person still shows as the name followed by `(deleted)`.

<h3 id="notification-export">
  Export a person's notifications
</h3>

For a data-access request, a system administrator can download the notifications and settings of one person as a JSON file. The file shows the entries as the person would see them: in their language, and an entry about something they can no longer open appears without its content. This is the only way an administrator sees data from someone else's inbox. Every export is written to the [audit log](/docs/admin/audit-log) as **Notifications exported for a data-access request**, with the number of entries and no content. If that entry cannot be written, nothing is exported.

Request the file with `GET /api/admin/users/{id}/notifications/export` while signed in as a system administrator, where `{id}` is the ID of the person.

***

<h2 id="lifecycle">
  The life of a deleted work item
</h2>

The diagram follows a project or a work item from deletion to the point where only a backup brings it back.

```mermaid theme={"dark"}
flowchart LR
  A[Member deletes<br/>a work item] --> B[In the trash<br/>restore possible]
  B -- Restore --> F[Back in its project]
  B -- Permanent delete --> D[Gone from Collabase]
  B -- 30 days pass --> C[Maintenance job<br/>removes it]
  C --> D
  D --> E[Only a full restore<br/>from backup]
```

Spaces and pages follow the same path without the 30-day step: they wait in the trash until someone acts.

<h2 id="delete-for-good">
  Delete something for good
</h2>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the trash">
    Go to **Administration → Data & Backup → Trash**. The list shows **Type**, **Title**, **Space** and **Deleted on**. Narrow it with **All**, **Spaces**, **Projects**, **Pages** or **Work Items**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the item's menu">
    Click **Open menu** at the end of the row and choose **Permanent delete**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The dialog asks **Permanently delete "name"?**. Click **Permanent delete**. **Item permanently deleted** confirms it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Danger>
  A permanent delete cannot be undone in Collabase. A deleted project is removed together with the work items listed under it (**incl. n work items**). After that, only a [full restore](/docs/admin/restore-runbook) of a backup brings it back, and a full restore replaces everything else as well.
</Danger>

<h2 id="backups">
  Backups keep what Collabase deleted
</h2>

Deleting data in Collabase does not remove it from backups you took before. A request to erase personal data is complete only when those backups have expired, too. Set the retention of your backups with that in mind, see [Backup and restore](/docs/admin/backup).

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Cause | What to do |
| - | - | - |
| A deleted work item is not in the trash any more | Its 30 days have passed, or someone deleted it for good. | Check the audit log for **Entity** `Trash` to see which. After that, only a backup brings it back, see [Restore runbook](/docs/admin/restore-runbook). |
| **Restore the project first: this work item belongs to a project that is still in the trash.** | The work item's project is deleted, too. | Restore the project. It brings its work items with it. |
| **Its address or key is now used by something else. Rename that first, then restore.** | A newer project or Space took the same key or address. | Rename the newer one, then restore. |
| **Failed to delete item** | The item could not be removed. | Reload the trash and try again. If it persists, check the [application log](/docs/admin/troubleshooting). |

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Backup and restore" icon="database" href="/docs/admin/backup">
    What a backup contains, and the trash in detail.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit log" icon="list-checks" href="/docs/admin/audit-log">
    Who deleted or restored what, and when.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security policies" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/admin/security-policies">
    The period after which locked accounts are anonymized.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data protection" icon="lock" href="/docs/security/data-protection">
    How Collabase handles personal data.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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