# Trash

> How the DooFiles Trash keeps what you delete, how to undo a delete right away or restore items later, how to delete them for good, and how long they are kept.

Source: https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/trash

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## Overview

When you delete files or folders with DooFiles, they are not erased. They go to the DooFiles Trash, where they wait for 30 days by default. Until then, you can put them back where they were with one click.

This Trash is separate from the WordPress trash for posts and pages. It holds files and folders of your server.

## Delete and undo

Select one or more rows and press **Delete**, or right-click and choose **Trash**. DooFiles moves them to the Trash and shows a notice, such as *“old-banner.jpg” moved to the trash.*, with an **Undo** button. Click **Undo** to put them back right away.

See [Manage files](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/files/manage-files#delete).

## The Trash view

Click **Trash** in the folder panel. The counter next to it shows how many items are in the Trash.

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Name** | The name of the file or folder |
| **Original location** | The folder it was deleted from |
| **Deleted** | When it was deleted, and by which user |
| **Size** | Its size |

[SCREENSHOT_HERE: The Trash view with three deleted items, their original location, the date and user that deleted them, and the Restore and Delete permanently buttons]

## Restore items

1. Select the items you want back. **Select all** selects everything.
2. Click **Restore**.

DooFiles puts each item back where it was, and tells you where: *Restored to /wp-content/uploads.*

- If its original folder no longer exists, DooFiles creates it again.
- If something with the same name now exists there, DooFiles keeps both and adds a number to the restored one, such as `logo (1).png`.

Restoring a folder, a PHP file or a server file such as `.htaccess` asks for your password. See [Password confirmation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/password-confirmation).

## Delete items for good

- **Delete permanently** erases the selected items.
- **Empty trash** erases everything in the Trash.

DooFiles asks first, because this cannot be undone: *Everything in the trash will be deleted for good. This cannot be undone.* Both actions also ask for your password, as changes to code do, and for the code of your authenticator app if you use a [second factor](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/second-factor) and chose to ask for it before deleting permanently. After you confirm, they do not ask again for a while (10 minutes by default).

[SCREENSHOT_HERE: The Empty the trash? dialog]

## How long items are kept

Items stay in the Trash for 30 days by default. After that, DooFiles deletes them for good on its own, once a day. Change the number of days in **Days in the trash**, in **DooFiles › Settings**. See [Retention](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/settings/retention).

The [Space](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/space) view shows how much space the Trash takes.

## Deleted files are safe in the Trash

- **They never run.** A deleted PHP file, or a server file such as `.htaccess`, cannot run or change how your server works while it is in the Trash, even on servers that ignore `.htaccess`. It goes back to normal when you restore it.
- **They are closed to the web.** The Trash lives in a private folder of DooFiles that cannot be opened from the web and does not appear in the file list.
- **Private folders stay private.** Items deleted from a [private folder](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/private-folders) appear in the Trash only to the administrators on the list of that folder.

Deleting DooFiles also deletes its Trash. Restore what you want to keep first. See [Installation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/installation#deactivating-and-deleting).

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| *The trash is empty*, but I deleted something | It was deleted more than 30 days ago (or the days you set), or someone deleted it permanently. Check the [Activity](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/views/activity) log |
| An item I deleted from a private folder is not in the Trash | Only the administrators on the list of that folder can see it |
| The restored file has a number in its name | Something with the same name existed in its folder. Rename one of them |
| Delete permanently asks for my password | It asks as changes to code do. After you confirm, it does not ask again for 10 minutes by default. See [Password confirmation](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/security/password-confirmation) |
| The Trash takes too much space | Delete what you do not need permanently, or lower **Days in the trash** in [Retention](https://doothemes.com/docs/doofiles/settings/retention) |

Need more help? [Open a support ticket](https://doothemes.com/account/tickets/new).