Archive Removed Files Use Cases

Archive Removed Files keeps an accessible archive when covered files are deleted or replaced by uploads or Syncs. The examples below use that history for recovery, collaboration, and recordkeeping. Review the feature's overwrite exceptions when applying it to automated workflows.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

An organization needs to keep records after users remove them from a working folder. Archive Removed Files retains those copies in a separate location for review. Configure the archive's permissions and retention for the records being kept, and verify that the workflow's replacement operations are covered.

Audit and Legal Investigations

An investigation needs a document that has since been deleted or replaced. The archive provides the retained copy, while activity logs provide the record of actions on the file. Preserve the relevant content and logs for the investigation.

Collaborative Environments

A team uploads revised documents under the same filenames. Archiving keeps the prior versions when those uploads replace the working copies, so the team can retrieve an earlier draft without keeping every version in the working folder.

External User Access

Folders shared with external partners, clients, or customers often see files deleted once they are downloaded or processed. From the outside user’s perspective, the folder remains uncluttered, while the original files are retained in the archive path for internal visibility and long-term access.

Automated Processes and Workflows

A scheduled workflow removes files after processing or replaces them through a Sync. Archiving keeps the removed copies for reconciliation or recovery if processing fails. Check the documented overwrite exceptions before relying on the archive for a Copy or Move Automation.

Ransomware and Accidental Data Loss

Archived copies can help recover files removed accidentally or replaced by a compromised workflow. Recovery depends on those copies remaining intact. Restrict access to the archive and use independent backups when recovery must survive loss of the working files and the archive.