Archive & trash

To archive an asset you no longer use, set its status to Archived: in the Asset Library, click the asset and pick Archived in Status in its quick view, which saves straight away. You can also change Status in the asset editor and choose Save Changes.

An archived asset keeps its file, folder, tags and collections, and it stays in the Asset Library with the Archived label. It's also listed under Assets → Archive & Trash, where you can restore it or move it to the trash. See Asset library.

Assets has two ways to take an asset out of use, and you can undo both.

• Archived assets are retired but still live: they stay in the library, search and folders, marked Archived. Restoring one sets its status back to Draft.
• Trashed assets are deleted: they leave the library, its search and the folders, and wait in the trash. Restoring one puts it back where it was, with the status it had.

Nothing leaves the trash on its own; an asset stays there until someone restores it or deletes it permanently. Its file keeps using storage until then.

An asset under an active legal hold can't be moved to the trash or deleted permanently. See Governance.

Open a project in Assets and choose Assets → Archive & Trash in the sidebar. The buttons at the top right switch between Archived and Trash; it opens on Archived.

The figures across the top count both: Archived, In Trash, Trash Size (the space trashed files still use) and Recoverable (everything in either list).

Each row shows the asset's name and up to three tags, its type, size and folder, and the date it was archived or trashed. Filter by type, search by name, format and tags, and sort by Newest First (the default), Oldest First, Name A–Z, Name Z–A, Largest Size or Smallest Size. Switching between Archived and Trash clears the search and filter and sorts by Newest First again.

Click a row, or choose View in its ⋯ menu, to see the asset's preview, details, retention dates and a timeline of when it was created, last updated and archived or trashed.

To restore an asset, choose Restore in its ⋯ menu on Archive & Trash, or at the top of its page when you view it. It happens straight away.

• From Archived, the asset's status goes back to Draft.
• From Trash, the asset goes back to the library with the folder, tags, collections and status it had.

On the Archived list, Move to Trash in the same menu trashes an archived asset without asking. Restoring it from the trash returns it to the archive.

To free an asset's storage for good, open Trash on Archive & Trash and choose Delete permanently in the asset's ⋯ menu, or at the top of its page. Assets asks you to confirm, then removes the asset, its file, every earlier version and any converted copies. This can't be undone.

Deleting permanently needs a role that includes Delete an asset; of the built-in roles, Owner and Admin have it. It fails for an asset under an active legal hold. Roles are covered in Project settings.