# Data Retention

## Data Retention Policy and Settings

* By default, the Data Retention is turned off for Internal and Integrations Product Edition and turned on and set to 60 days for External Helpdesk
* You can change the retention period (7 to 365 days) in Additional Settings under Settings.
* You can also disable Data Retention entirely and store data indefinitely in ClearFeed.
* Once a ticket crosses the configured data retention threshold:
  * **All message data (e.g., ticket description and title)** are deleted from ClearFeed’s systems.
  * The **ticket still appears on the dashboard**, but without its original content.
  * Instead of showing the erased content, ClearFeed displays a **direct link to the original Slack message** (for Slack messages), allowing users to reference the original conversation in Slack.
  * Statistics derived from messages (like creation time, response times etc) are retained indefinitely while only raw data is deleted.
  * Text data is also deleted from our search index which means such old tickets will not show up in search results and will also be inaccessible to AI Agents.

{% hint style="info" %}
Notes:

* Requests/tickets in Views and Collections follow the Data Retention policy. If retention is set to 7 days, selecting "Created in last 30 days" will still show only the last 7 days of requests.
* ClearFeed does not store attachments or images for requests that originate in Slack; these are always fetched from Slack. If Slack deletes such attachments or images (for example due to free plan restrictions), they will no longer appear in ClearFeed. (However this does not affect attachments or images that were received by ClearFeed over Email or Web Chat).
* Any links to Slack messages shown in ClearFeed will no longer work if the original message is deleted in Slack (for example due to free plan restrictions).
* To enable Data Retention for a period more than 365 days, email <support@clearfeed.ai>.
  {% endhint %}

## FAQs

1. **Can the data be restored if deleted because of the data retention settings?**\
   **Answer:** Data already deleted from our systems cannot be restored right now.
2. **If I update the thread of an old ticket/request that has crossed the data retention time threshold, will integrations (like Zendesk or Jira) still work on the thread?**\
   **Answer:** Yes, the integration will work as we don't delete the Metadata.
3. **Will tickets older than the data retention threshold still be present in Slack to refer them later?**\
   **Answer:** Yes, we don't delete messages from Slack.
4. **Is the data retention disabled by default?**\
   **Answer:** By default, Data Retention is disabled for the Internal and Integration Helpdesk product edition. For External Helpdesk Product Edition, it is set to 60 days.
5. **Can I disable data retention settings completely?**\
   **Answer:** Yes, you can disable data retention settings at the account level. When disabled, data will not be automatically deleted and will be retained indefinitely.
6. **Can I set data retention for more than 365 days?**\
   **Answer:** Yes. Either you can disable data retention entirely - or reach out to us at <support@clearfeed.ai> for a setting greater than 365 days.
7. **Will all the data of my old threads be deleted after the retention timeline?**\
   **Answer:** We just delete the title and message texts of the request. However, all operations that work on the request will continue working (for eg - syncing messages between the ticket and Slack).
8. **Am I notified if my data is nearing its retention date?**\
   **Answer:** Yes, when your account approaches the retention limit for the first time, we will notify you via email by sending a Data Retention Notice. This email will be sent 4 days prior to the retention limit date.