Retention refers to how long Files.com keeps a backup copy of files that have been deleted. This feature plays an essential role in data governance, helping organizations reduce risk, maintain compliance, and recover from unintended data loss. Deleted files are not immediately purged. Instead, they are retained for a specified period, allowing Site Administrators to restore them if needed.

Why Retention Matters

Retention supports compliance with data protection regulations and internal policies by keeping deleted records available for inspection or recovery. It also helps maintain data integrity in collaborative and automated environments where files may be removed unintentionally.

Retention helps Site Administrators recover files that are accidentally deleted by automation rules, API scripts, or users. If a shared folder is removed by mistake or a critical file is deleted during an automated process, retention allows Site Administrators to restore the data without relying on external backups. It is also useful during offboarding or investigation scenarios, such as when an employee deletes important files before leaving. Retained files remain accessible for recovery within the configured retention period, even after deletion.

Configuring Retention Settings

Site administrators configure the number of days that deleted files remain recoverable using the Retain backup copies of files after deletion setting. This setting defines the maximum number of days your site will retain deleted files before they are permanently removed from storage. The default value is 30 days.

You can disable retention entirely by setting this value to 0, which causes files to be removed immediately upon deletion. Setting the value to 0 is not recommended, as it completely disables your ability to restore deleted files. To retain deleted files indefinitely, set the value to 99999. This setting applies retroactively to all previously deleted files. Once changed, it may take up to 24 hours for the system to remove any files that no longer fall within the updated retention window.

The storage used for retaining deleted files counts toward your site's total storage usage.