Documents & Folders
Deleting, restoring and the Trash
Deleted files and folders wait in Trash for 60 days. Restore them yourself, or ask an admin after that.
Step 1
Delete a file or folder
Right-click it and choose Delete, or Delete Folder. Deleting a folder takes its subfolders and files with it. You can delete files you uploaded, Contributors and above can also delete folders they created, and Moderators and above can delete anything. A custom role without Delete documents or Delete folders cannot delete them at all, not even your own.
Old drafts
4 files
Q3-Budget.xlsx
Notes.pdf
Step 2
Undo it straight away
It moves to Trash at once, and a dark bar in the bottom-right corner counts down 8 seconds. The countdown pauses while you hover the bar or it has keyboard focus. Press Undo before it runs out: the bar says Restoring, then Restored once the item is really back. If it cannot be restored, the bar says Could not restore. It is still in Trash. and stays until you press Dismiss. Each delete gets its own bar, stacked in the corner with any upload cards.
Q3-Budget.xlsx
Deleted · 6s
Notes.pdf
Could not restore. It is still in Trash.
Step 3
Other ways to delete one file
Hover a file and press its bin, or press Delete on the file's own page; these ask you to confirm first. The bin only shows on files you uploaded, or on every file for Moderators and above. Delete in the details pane works like the menu, with the Undo bar. Everything goes to Trash either way.
Delete Document
Step 4
Deleting several at once
Select several items and press Delete in the tray at the bottom. A window asks you to confirm before they move to Trash. There is no Undo bar this way, but you can restore them from Trash. Files you are not allowed to delete are left where they are.
Step 5
Open the Trash
Press Trash at the bottom of the Folders panel. If it cannot be loaded, it says so with Try again.
Folders
New FolderStep 6
How long things stay
Each item shows when it was deleted and how many days it has left. The count turns amber in the last week and red in the last three days. You see what you deleted yourself. Moderators and above also see what other people deleted, but only from folders they could open, and Owners see everything. Files inside a deleted folder are not listed on their own: they come back with the folder.
Trash
Items leave Trash after 60 days
Q3-Budget.xlsx
File · Deleted Oct 14·59d leftOld drafts
Folder · Deleted Sep 20·35d left
Scan-0091.pdf
File · Deleted Aug 19·3d left
Step 7
Restore
Press Restore to put the item back where it was. A restored folder comes back with its subfolders and files. If the folder it was in is gone, it goes to the personal folder of whoever uploaded or created it, or to yours if they have none. Restoring needs the same Delete documents or Delete folders permission as deleting; without it there is no Restore button.
Trash
Items leave Trash after 60 days
Q3-Budget.xlsx
File · Deleted Oct 14·59d leftOld drafts
Folder · Deleted Sep 20·35d leftScan-0091.pdf
File · Deleted Aug 19·3d left
Step 8
Delete for good
Press the bin on a row to delete it permanently, after you confirm. Empty trash, at the top, does the same for the items you are allowed to delete, and tells you how many of the others stay in Trash. Permanent deletes only work on items you uploaded or created, unless you are an Owner or Admin. If an item cannot be deleted, a message says so.
Delete permanently?
Step 9
After 60 days
Items leave Trash after 60 days. Owners and Admins can still bring them back until day 90: open Removed from Trash at the bottom of the panel and press Recover. It lists items from folders you could open, and an item whose folder is gone is placed the same way as Restore. After that they are gone for good.
Trash
Items leave Trash after 60 days and can be recovered by an admin until day 90
Q3-Budget.xlsx
File · Deleted Oct 14·59d left
Supplier-List.xlsx
File · Deleted Jul 2 · 12d to recover
Try it in Secretary, or create an account to get started.
Related guides
Finding your way around Documents
The folder panel, Home and All Documents, views, columns, sorting and the details pane.
Uploading documents
Add files to the folder you have open, or let Secretary read them and sort them into folders for you.
Uploading a whole folder
Upload a folder from your computer with all its subfolders, keeping the same structure.