How Long Should You Keep Folder Archives?
A practical way to choose archive retention for project handoffs, offboarding, migration checkpoints, and long-term records without confusing archive storage with the Recovery Bin.
Safe Archive guide
Keep the copy, keep the context, and keep a record of what arrived.
Founder of ARCED Foundation, ARCED International, and Solutions of Things Lab (SoTLab). Built FolderManifest to help teams protect file integrity and stay audit-ready.
Published August 20, 2026
Scope first
Decide what you are allowed to copy before starting the archive.
Copy second
Use a destination that will remain available after access changes.
Verify last
Keep a report that names the files copied, converted, skipped, or failed.
Quick answer
Keep an archive until the reason for creating it has passed, the owner has accepted the handoff, and your recovery or records policy no longer needs it. For a normal working checkpoint, start with 30 days and adjust it to the project risk.
Choose retention by the job the archive is doing
| Use case | Starting point | Delete when |
|---|---|---|
| Working checkpoint | 7 to 30 days | A newer verified checkpoint exists and the rollback window is closed |
| Project closeout | Until acceptance and the agreed project window | The owner confirms the final deliverable and no open issue depends on it |
| Offboarding | Until access, ownership, and handoff questions are settled | The receiving owner confirms the archive is usable |
| Records or compliance | The applicable records policy | The policy allows disposal and the deletion is documented |
These are planning starting points, not legal advice. If a contract, regulator, client, or internal records schedule sets a longer period, follow that source of truth.
Keep the archive report with the archived files
The files are only part of the record. Safe Archive also writes an HTML and CSV report with per-file status and SHA-256 values. Keep the report in the same destination and include its location in the handoff or project record.
- Use a dated destination or prefix so one archive does not silently overwrite another.
- Record the source scope, destination, owner, and reason for the archive.
- Test a small restore before the retention deadline if the archive is important.
- Delete the files and the corresponding report together when the policy allows disposal.
Do not confuse archive retention with the Recovery Bin
FolderManifest has a separate Recovery Bin for reversible duplicate cleanup. Its settings can retain moved files for 7, 30, or 90 days, or never expire them. That timer applies to cleanup items on the machine; it does not control how long a Safe Archive copy stays in your NAS, bucket, or Drive.
Treat the two policies as different controls: one protects against an accidental cleanup, while the other governs a deliberate archive copy. Keeping the names separate makes deletion reviews easier to audit.
Review before deleting an old archive
Before removal, ask who owns the archive, whether a newer copy has been verified, whether an open incident or handoff still depends on it, and whether the report is stored somewhere else. Record the decision and the date so the next person does not have to guess why a copy disappeared.
Make the archive reviewable
FolderManifest copies the folder locally or to a supported destination, then creates a report with the files that arrived and the files that need attention.
Frequently asked questions
Does Safe Archive automatically delete old archives?
Safe Archive writes to the destination you choose and does not decide how long that destination keeps the archive. Set retention through your storage, backup, or records policy and remove old copies only after review.
What is a good default archive retention period?
Thirty days is a useful starting point for a working checkpoint, but the right period depends on the project, access changes, recovery window, and any organizational or contractual policy that applies.
Is Safe Archive retention the same as Recovery Bin retention?
No. Recovery Bin retention controls deleted files moved into FolderManifest's reversible cleanup area. Archive retention controls copies you deliberately wrote to a destination such as local storage, S3-compatible storage, or Google Drive.