Deleted files

When you delete a file or folder in Nextcloud, it is normally moved to the trash bin instead of being deleted immediately. This allows you to restore it later.

Items in the trash bin are permanently deleted when one of the following occurs:

  • You manually select Delete permanently.

  • The Deleted Files app removes the item according to the configured retention policy.

  • The effective trash-bin size limit is exceeded and the item is eligible for removal to free space.

Find your deleted files by selecting Deleted files in the Files area of the Nextcloud Web interface. From there, you can restore items, download them to your device, or delete them permanently.

When you restore an item, Nextcloud normally attempts to return it to its original location. If that location no longer exists or is not writable, the item is restored to the root of your Files area. If an item with the same name already exists, Nextcloud gives the restored item a unique name.

Note

If the Versions app is enabled, versions associated with a deleted file are moved to the trash bin and are restored when the file is restored.

Quotas

Files and folders in your trash bin do not count against your normal storage quota.

See Storage quota for more information about how storage quotas are calculated.

What happens when shared files are deleted

The behavior of deleted shared files depends on who deletes the item and who owns it.

For example, User1 shares a folder named TheProject/ with User2 and User3:

  1. User2, a share recipient (sharee), deletes a folder or file named Phase2 inside TheProject/.

    TheProject/Phase2 is moved to the trash bin of User1, the owner, and a copy is placed in User2’s trash bin when possible. The item is removed from the shared folder for User3, but User3 does not receive a copy in their trash bin.

  2. User1, the owner, deletes TheProject/Phase2.

    The item is moved to User1’s trash bin and removed from the shared folder for User2 and User3. It is not placed in their trash bins.

The exact behavior can depend on the type of share and the permissions granted by the share. Depending on those permissions, other users may be able to copy, rename, move, or re-share shared files. These operations can affect which account owns the resulting files and which trash bin receives a deleted item.

Note

When a sharee deletes an item owned by another user, Nextcloud moves the item to the owner’s trash bin. A copy in the deleting user’s trash bin is also created (in most cases; the copy is on a best-effort basis and is not guaranteed).

How the Deleted Files app manages storage space

The Deleted Files app manages trash-bin contents using two related rules:

  • A storage limit determines how much space the trash bin may use.

  • A retention policy determines when deleted items become eligible for permanent deletion.

Trash-bin storage limit

For accounts with a storage quota, the default trash-bin limit is up to 50% of the account’s remaining quota space. This is calculated after the account’s active files have been taken into account; it is not 50% of the account’s total quota.

For example, if your quota is 10 GB and your active files use 8 GB, the default trash-bin allowance is calculated from the remaining 2 GB.

For accounts without a storage quota, the default limit is calculated using available filesystem space instead. Your administrator can override either default by configuring a global or per-account trash-bin size.

When the effective trash-bin limit is exceeded, Nextcloud removes eligible deleted items, starting with the oldest items, until the limit is satisfied again.

Retention and permanent deletion

By default, deleted files are retained for at least 30 days. After that, eligible items may be permanently deleted when space is needed; they are not necessarily deleted immediately after 30 days.

Your administrator can configure different minimum and maximum retention periods. Depending on the configuration, items may be permanently deleted after a maximum age even when storage space is not currently needed. Automatic expiration can also be disabled.

For policies with a configured minimum retention period, an item is eligible for space-based cleanup only after that period has elapsed. Policies without a minimum retention period may allow space-based cleanup regardless of the item’s age. Items that have exceeded a configured maximum retention period can be permanently deleted regardless of whether space is currently needed.

The relevant configuration setting is trashbin_retention_obligation. For details about the available values and their interaction with quotas and trash-bin sizes, see the Deleted Files section of the Administrator Manual.

Note

The Deleted Files app may permanently delete an item before its maximum retention period when the effective trash-bin limit is exceeded and the item’s minimum retention period has elapsed.