---
title: "Soft delete and restore"
component: "savanna"
version: "main"
module: "workgroup-workspace"
html_url: "/savanna/main/workgroup-workspace/workspaces/soft-delete"
---

[View as HTML](/savanna/main/workgroup-workspace/workspaces/soft-delete)

# Soft delete and restore

Soft delete lets you recover a workspace or database after an accidental deletion. Instead of removing the resource immediately, Savanna moves it to **Archived Items**, where it stays recoverable for a set recovery period. During that period, you can restore the resource or delete it permanently. If you take no action, Savanna permanently deletes the resource after the recovery period ends.

It applies to workspaces and databases only. Deleting a workgroup is always permanent.

The feature is available on the Paid, Premium, and Enterprise tiers. On the Free tier, every deletion is permanent.

## How soft delete works

When you delete an eligible workspace or database on a paid tier, Savanna offers two choices:

* **Move to Archived Items**: a recoverable deletion. The resource is retained and can be restored during its recovery period.
* **Delete permanently**: an immediate, irreversible deletion.

A resource you move to Archived Items is no longer active. It does not appear in your active workspace or database lists, it cannot be used or started, and it does not count toward your active quotas. It remains recoverable until you restore it, delete it permanently, or its recovery period ends.

### Soft delete compared to permanent deletion

|  | Soft delete (move to Archived Items) | Permanent delete |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What happens | The resource moves to **Archived Items**. Its configuration and data are retained, but you cannot use it until you restore it. | The resource and its data are removed right away. |
| Can you recover it? | Yes, until the recovery period ends. | No. Permanent deletion cannot be undone. |
| Available on | Paid, Premium, and Enterprise tiers. | All tiers. On the Free tier, every deletion is permanent. |

## Quotas

Soft delete interacts with two separate kinds of limits for workspaces, and behaves differently for databases.

### Workspace quotas

Workspaces are governed by two independent quotas:

* **Active workspace quota.** The number of active workspaces your organization can run, counted separately for read-write (R/W) and read-only (R/O) workspaces. See [Read-write and read-only](readwrite-readonly). A workspace in the **Stopped** state still consumes active quota. Only archiving releases it.
* **Soft delete quota.** A separate count limit for how many workspaces your organization can keep in Archived Items at the same time.

The following table shows how each operation affects those quotas.

| Operation | Active R/W or R/O quota | Soft delete quota |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Soft delete a workspace | Releases one unit | Consumes one unit |
| Restore a workspace | Consumes one unit (must be available) | Releases one unit |
| Permanently delete an archived workspace | No change | Releases one unit |

Because restoring a workspace returns it to the active experience, Savanna validates your current active R/W or R/O quota before the restore succeeds. If the applicable quota is full, the restore is blocked. See [Restore a workspace](#restore-a-workspace).

Quota limits depend on your organization's current configuration, so treat the values shown in Savanna as authoritative. For limits by tier, see [Subscription plans and quota policy](../../resources/quota%5Fpolicy).

### Database quotas

Databases behave differently:

* There is **no** soft delete quota for databases. You can keep any number of databases in Archived Items, and a database can move through the archive and restore lifecycle repeatedly.
* There is **no** active database quota check on restore. Restoring a database is never blocked by a database count limit, though database and workspace dependency rules still apply.

## Before you start

To soft delete a workspace or database:

* Your organization must be on the Paid, Premium, or Enterprise tier.
* You must have permission to delete the resource. See [Access management](../../administration/how2-access-mgnt).
* To soft delete a workspace, your soft delete quota must have available capacity, and the workspace must not be in the process of being created, stopped, or deleted.
* To soft delete a database, every workspace attached to it must already be archived or terminated.

## Soft delete a workspace

1. In Savanna, open the workgroup that contains the workspace.
2. Next to the workspace, open the actions menu (**…**) and select **Delete**.
3. In the confirmation dialog, review the recovery period and your soft delete quota usage, then select **Move to Archived Items**.
4. Confirm the deletion.

Savanna stops the workspace's compute and moves it to **Archived Items**. The workspace keeps its configuration and settings, releases its active R/W or R/O quota, and consumes one soft delete quota unit.

> [!NOTE]
> An archived workspace does not resume automatically. Traffic, schedules, auto-start, and auto-resume do not restart it. You must restore the workspace before you can start it again.

> [!NOTE]
> An archived workspace keeps its name. You cannot create a new workspace with the same name in the workgroup until you restore or permanently delete the original.

### When the soft delete quota is full

If your soft delete quota is already full, you cannot archive another workspace. To continue, do one of the following:

* Permanently delete an existing archived workspace to free soft delete quota.
* Permanently delete the current workspace instead of archiving it.

## Restore a workspace

You can restore a workspace from Archived Items at any time while it remains recoverable.

1. Open **Archived Items**.
2. Find the workspace you want to restore.
3. Click **Restore** and confirm.

The workspace returns to your active workspace list in the **Stopped** state, with its original configuration and settings. It does not start automatically. Start it when you are ready to use it. Restoring the workspace releases one soft delete quota unit and consumes one active R/W or R/O quota unit.

### Active quota is validated on restore

Because a restored workspace returns to the active experience, Savanna checks your current active quota for that workspace's access type before the restore succeeds. If the applicable R/W or R/O quota is already full, the restore is blocked, and the workspace stays in Archived Items with its existing recovery deadline.

For example, with a read-write quota of three:

```text
R/W quota: 3 of 3 used
Restore an archived R/W workspace  → Blocked (no R/W capacity)

R/W quota: 2 of 3 used
Restore an archived R/W workspace  → Allowed; workspace returns Stopped; R/W becomes 3 of 3
```

Stopping another workspace does not free this capacity, because a Stopped workspace still counts as active. To make room, restore after an active workspace is archived or permanently deleted.

### When the workspace's database is also archived

Every workspace is associated with a database. If both the workspace and its associated database are archived, restoring the workspace restores both resources together.

```text
Workspace-A: Archived
Database-A:  Archived

Restore Workspace-A
→ Workspace-A becomes Active / Stopped
→ Database-A  becomes Active
```

The active R/W or R/O quota for the workspace must still be available. Restoring the database alongside the workspace adds no separate database quota requirement.

## Soft delete a database

A database can be archived only when none of its attached workspaces is active. Every attached workspace must already be archived or terminated. This prevents an active workspace from being left attached to an unavailable, archived database.

1. In Savanna, open the workgroup that contains the database.
2. Confirm that every workspace attached to the database is archived or terminated.
3. Next to the database, open the actions menu (**…**) and select **Delete**.
4. In the confirmation dialog, review the recovery period, then select **Move to Archived Items**.
5. Confirm the deletion.

Savanna moves the database to **Archived Items** and retains its data for the recovery period. Archiving a database does not consume an archived-resource quota.

## Restore a database

You can restore a database independently of its workspaces.

1. Open **Archived Items**.
2. Find the database you want to restore.
3. Click **Restore** and confirm.

The database returns to your active database list, and its retained data becomes available again. Restoring a database is not subject to an active database quota.

> [!NOTE]
> Restoring a database does not restore its archived workspaces. Restore each workspace separately. Each workspace restore is still subject to its active R/W or R/O quota.

```text
Database-A:  Archived
Workspace-A: Archived
Workspace-B: Archived

Restore Database-A
→ Database-A  becomes Active
→ Workspace-A remains Archived
→ Workspace-B remains Archived
```

## Permanently delete a resource

Soft delete is optional on a paid tier. You can permanently delete a resource directly, or permanently delete a resource that is already archived.

> [!NOTE]
> Permanent deletion cannot be undone. It removes the resource's configuration and data immediately, and no recovery period is created.

### Permanently delete an active resource

When you delete an active workspace or database, choose **Delete permanently** in the confirmation dialog instead of **Move to Archived Items**. The resource is removed immediately and is not placed in Archived Items.

Database and workspace dependency rules still apply. If a database has a workspace that is not in a deletable state, the deletion is blocked. Permanently deleting a workspace does not imply that its associated database is deleted.

### Permanently delete an archived resource

You do not need to wait for the recovery period to end.

1. Open **Archived Items**.
2. Find the resource, click **Delete permanently**, and confirm.

Permanently deleting an archived workspace releases its soft delete quota unit. The resource is removed and can no longer be restored.

### Deleting an archived database removes its archived workspaces

If archived workspaces remain attached to an archived database, permanently deleting the database also permanently deletes those workspaces.

```text
Database-A:  Archived
├── Workspace-A: Archived
└── Workspace-B: Archived

Permanently delete Database-A
→ Database-A, Workspace-A, and Workspace-B are all permanently deleted
```

Savanna communicates this cascade before you confirm the operation. Each archived workspace removed with the database releases its soft delete quota unit.

## Recovery period

Savanna sets the recovery period once, when the resource enters Archived Items, based on your organization's retention policy at that moment. Archived Items shows the exact permanent deletion date for each resource.

The following recovery periods are examples. Your organization's retention policy determines the actual values, so treat the dates shown in Savanna as authoritative.

| Tier | Recovery period (example) |
| --- | --- |
| Free | Soft delete not available |
| Paid | 15 days |
| Premium | 30 days |
| Enterprise | 30 days |

Permanent deletion runs on a schedule, so a resource can remain in Archived Items for a short time after its permanent deletion date. You can still restore it during that interval, up until the scheduled process begins removing it. Once removal begins, the resource can no longer be restored.

> [!NOTE]
> Recovery period and quota are distinct. The recovery period answers _how long this specific archived resource can be recovered_, and is fixed when the resource is archived. Quota answers _whether an operation is allowed right now_, and is evaluated against your organization's current limits each time you archive or restore.

### Recovery period and tier changes

Changing your tier affects future operations only. It does not rewrite the recovery deadline of a resource that is already archived.

Upgrading increases your current quotas and can lengthen the retention policy used for new archive operations, with both taking effect immediately. Downgrading reduces them. In either case, resources already in Archived Items keep the permanent deletion date they were assigned when they were archived.

Consider a workspace archived on the Paid tier with a 15-day recovery period:

```text
Oct 1   Workspace-A archived on Paid; permanent deletion date = Oct 16
Oct 5   Organization upgrades to Enterprise (30-day retention)
        → Workspace-A still has its Oct 16 date
Oct 6   Workspace-B archived on Enterprise
        → Workspace-B receives a 30-day recovery period
```

The recovery period is evaluated again only on a new archive operation. If you restore a resource and archive it again, Savanna calculates a fresh recovery period from the retention policy in effect at that time.

#### After a downgrade to Free

A Free organization can temporarily have resources in Archived Items if they were archived before the downgrade. Those resources keep their original recovery deadlines and are not purged early.

* You can restore such a workspace, provided your current Free-tier R/W or R/O active quota has capacity.
* After you restore it, you cannot archive it again while the organization remains on Free. You can only permanently delete it.

The presence of archived resources on a Free organization does not mean the current plan allows new soft deletes.

## Archived Items

Archived Items lists your recoverable resources separately from active resources. For each item, Savanna shows:

* The resource name and type
* The date it was archived
* Its recovery status
* The permanent deletion date
* A **Restore** action
* A **Delete permanently** action

Archived resources do not appear in active lists, workspace start and stop controls, database attachment flows, or day-to-day active resource counts. You restore or permanently delete them directly from Archived Items.

## Deletion on the Free tier

The Free tier does not support soft delete. When you delete a workspace or database on the Free tier, Savanna deletes it permanently.

> [!NOTE]
> Before you confirm a deletion on the Free tier, make sure you no longer need the resource. Permanent deletion cannot be undone.

## Related

* [About workspaces](workspace)
* [Read-write and read-only](readwrite-readonly)
* [Back up and restore](../workgroups/backup-and-restore)
* [Subscription plans and quota policy](../../resources/quota%5Fpolicy)
* [Access management](../../administration/how2-access-mgnt)
* [Glossary](../../resources/glossary)