When you're finished working on a project, you can archive it to keep the Projects page tidy while keeping everything intact, or delete it permanently if it was created by mistake. This article covers how to do both, and exactly what happens to the project's portal, emails, forms, invoices, reminders, and flows either way.
Archive vs. delete a project
Both options take a project off your active list, but they behave very differently once you use them. Here's what changes with each one.
Recoverable: An archived project can be restored anytime. A deleted project is gone for good.
Client portal: An archived project's portal stays viewable to your client. A deleted project's information is removed from the client portal along with the project.
Emails: Future emails on an archived project still connect to it. Future emails tied to a deleted project still arrive in your inbox, but they're no longer connected to a project.
Forms: On an archived project, the contract and every form sent within it remain viewable to both you and your client. On a deleted project, you have to manually delete the contract and every sub-agreement first, and any other forms sent within the project are deleted along with it.
Invoices: Archiving a lead project automatically closes any open invoices; archiving a job project leaves open invoices open. Deleting a project requires you to manually delete every invoice first.
Reminders: Archived projects keep sending form expiration, appointment, and payment reminders. Deleted projects stop sending all reminders.
Flows: Archiving automatically pauses any active flows in the project. Deleting stops flow automation and triggers entirely.
We recommend archiving projects once you're done with them, and reserving delete for projects created by accident or for testing. Archiving keeps everything recoverable if you need it later.
For archiving, restoring, or deleting projects, bulk actions are only available when using Table view. Board view only allows you to archive, restore, or delete projects one at a time.
Archive a project
Archiving works the same way whether you're doing it from your full project list or from a single client's profile.
Archiving a single project
Navigate to Projects in the left sidebar, or open a contact and go to their Projects tab. The same list controls apply in both places.
In the project's row, click the three-dot Options menu.
Click Archive.
You can also archive a project from inside the project itself, using the same Options menu.
Archiving multiple projects
On the Projects page, select the checkbox for each project you want to archive.
In the bulk actions bar, click the three-dot All actions menu.
Click Archive.
In the confirmation dialog, click Archive to confirm.
Viewing archived projects
You can find archived projects two ways:
Click the Archived quick filter tab on the Projects page. Projects are grouped into Leads, Jobs, and Archived.
Search for the contact's name. Archived projects still show up in search results from any view.
Restore an archived project
Restoring a project puts it back on your active list exactly as it was, with nothing lost while it was archived.
Restoring a single project
Go to the Archived tab.
In the project's row, click the three-dot Options menu.
Click Restore.
The same menu item that reads Archive on an active project reads Restore on an archived one.
Restoring multiple projects
On the Archived tab, select the checkbox for each project you want to restore.
Click the three-dot All actions menu.
Click Restore.
Restoring from a contact profile
You can also archive or restore a project from a client's own profile. Open the contact, go to their Projects tab, then click the Archived tab to see that contact's archived projects.
Delete a project
Deleting a project is different from archiving it. It's permanent, and Dubsado requires you to clear a few things out of the project before it lets you delete it.
Clearing the project first
A project can't be deleted while it still contains a contract, any sub-agreement, or any invoice. In the Projects list, the Delete item in the Options menu stays disabled, with a tooltip that reads "Projects with invoices or contracts cannot be deleted," until you clear those out.
To get a project ready for deletion:
Remove the contract from the project.
Remove every sub-agreement.
Remove any recorded payments, then delete every invoice.
Deleting a project
Once the project is clear of contracts, sub-agreements, and invoices:
Open the project's three-dot Options menu.
Click Delete.
In the Delete Project dialog, click Delete Project to confirm.
Deleting a project is permanent and can't be undone. The project and all its associated data are removed. If you might need the information later, archive the project instead.
Deleting a project also deletes any forms sent within it. A link to a form sent from a deleted project returns a 404 and no longer opens.
Deleting multiple projects
On the Projects page, select the checkbox for each project you want to delete.
Click Delete in the bulk actions menu.
Confirm in the Delete [N] projects? dialog.
If any of the selected projects still contain a contract, sub-agreement, or invoice, they're skipped. A result dialog reports: "The remaining [N] contain at least one contract, sub-agreement, or invoice. To delete these projects, please remove those items first."
FAQ
Can I recover a deleted project?
No. Deleting a project is permanent and removes the project and all its associated data. If there's any chance you'll need the information later, archive the project instead.
Why can't I delete my project?
Your project still contains a contract, a sub-agreement, or an invoice. Remove any recorded payments, delete every invoice, delete every sub-agreement, and remove the contract, and the Delete option becomes available.
What happens to open invoices when I archive a project?
It depends on the project type. Archiving a lead automatically closes any open invoices in it. Archiving a job leaves its open invoices open.
Do automations keep running on an archived project?
Active flows are automatically paused, but reminders, including form expiration, appointment, and payment reminders, keep sending.
Can I still access forms from a deleted project?
No. Any forms sent within a project are deleted along with it, and their links return a 404 instead of opening.