# Overview

## How it works

When purging is enabled, conversations follow this lifecycle:

**Matches rule** → **Queued for purge** → **Grace period (30 days)** → **Permanently deleted**

At any point during the grace period, an admin can cancel or exempt a conversation from deletion via **Upcoming Purges**.

The Overview tab shows the current status of workspace purge and explains how the deletion timeline works.

### Enabling and disabling purge

Use the **Workspace purge** toggle to turn automatic purging on or off.

When disabled, no new conversations will be queued for deletion. Conversations already within their grace period will continue toward their scheduled deletion dates — they are not cancelled automatically.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Disabling purging does not cancel pending deletions. Go to **Upcoming Purges** to review and cancel them manually before their grace period ends.
{% endhint %}

### Grace period

After a conversation matches a purge rule, it is not deleted immediately. It first enters a grace period (default: 30 days), giving you time to review and cancel the deletion if needed.

The full timeline works like this:

|                         |              |
| ----------------------- | ------------ |
| Rule retention          | e.g. 30 days |
| + Grace period          | e.g. 30 days |
| = **Total to deletion** | **60 days**  |

1. Conversation reaches retention age → tagged "Purge"
2. Grace period begins → visible in Upcoming Purges; can be cancelled at any time
3. Grace period ends → **permanently deleted**

{% hint style="info" %}
A new message arriving on a queued conversation will automatically cancel its purge. See [Rules](https://help.intheloop.io/retention-and-purge/rules) for how to prevent this.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Bot chats follow a different lifecycle.** Bot chat rules delete conversations immediately after the retention period ends — there is no grace period and no window to cancel or exempt them.
{% endhint %}

### Deleted folder

When purging is enabled, all conversations moved to the Deleted folder are automatically queued for permanent deletion after the workspace grace period (default: 30 days). This applies regardless of whether the conversation matches a purge rule.

### Purge indicator

When a conversation is queued for deletion, a warning is shown at the top of the conversation indicating the scheduled deletion date. This applies to any queued conversation.

![](https://dl.intheloop.io/loop-help/retention-and-purge.md/purge-notification.png)

### Member removal and personal chats

When a member is removed from the workspace, their personal conversations are also queued for deletion and follow the same grace period. These conversations **cannot be recovered** once deleted. Export or archive any important conversations before removing a member.

{% hint style="danger" %}
Permanent deletion cannot be undone. Once a conversation is purged, it cannot be recovered. Always review **Upcoming Purges** before grace periods expire.
{% endhint %}