# Archiving boards

> Archive a finished board instead of deleting it – last year's festival, a camp that is over. Each workspace has one archive to browse, search and restore. What an archived board does, who may archive it, and how it counts against your plan.

Source: https://contals.com/docs/en/boards/archive/  
Last updated: 2026-10-16

A finished event does not have to be deleted. **Archive** moves its board into the workspace's archive: it keeps everything, becomes read-only and leaves the working set – the board list, search, "My cards", the calendars, the dashboards and the summary e-mail. One click brings it back.

## Archive a board

1. Open the board → **Settings**.
2. In the **Archive** section, choose **Archive board**.

The board goes to the archive at once, for everyone. Board admins and the workspace's owners and admins can archive a board (owners and admins also private boards they manage without seeing their content).

## The workspace's archive

On the home page, choose **Archive** next to a workspace's name (the number says how many boards are in it). The page lists the archived boards, newest first, with the date they were archived. Type in **Search the archive** to find a board by its name or key.

- **Open** shows the board as it was – read-only. A banner says that it is archived.
- **Restore** brings it back into the board list.
- Members see the archived boards they can open; owners and admins also see private ones they manage (a confidential one shows only its key).

## What an archived board does

- **Read-only:** nobody can change it – no new cards, moves or comments, also not through the API, automations or the public pages. You can still delete your own comments (erasing data is never blocked).
- **Paused:** its Power-Ups, automation rules and card repeaters rest; nothing they would have done while archived is caught up after a restore. Due reminders are not sent.
- **Out of sight:** not in search, "My cards", the workspace calendar and dashboard, "For you", the summary e-mail or your personal calendar subscription. A calendar subscription of the board itself stays valid but empty until the board is restored.
- **Public pages** – date polls and booking pages – say "not available" while the board is archived. Printed links work again after a restore.
- **Links keep working:** links to the board and its cards open it read-only, and inbox items stay.
- **A retention rule that deletes done cards** keeps running (once a week); one that archives them pauses.
- **Exports** of the board and the workspace include it.

## Restore a board

In the archive, choose **Restore** – or open the board and choose **Restore board** in its banner. A restored board counts as an active board again, so the workspace's board limit of your plan must have room for it; if not, Contals shows how to make room.

## Archived boards and your plan

Archived boards do not count towards the plan's **boards per workspace** – archive finished events and the limit stays free for new ones. To keep the archive manageable, a workspace keeps at most 1,000 boards in total, archived ones included.

## In the API

`list_boards` leaves archived boards out unless you ask for `includeArchived`; `archive_board` and `restore_board` archive and restore (admin scope). Changes to an archived board answer `board_archived`. See the [API reference](/docs/en/ai/api/).