Archive, delete or erase a contact

There are three ways to take someone out of your list, and they are very different:

• Archive hides a contact from your lists. Nothing is lost and you can restore them.
• Delete removes a contact that has no history yet, such as a test entry.
• Erase permanently removes a person's name, email, phone and form answers, for a data-protection request. It cannot be undone.

Before you start

• If in doubt, archive. Erasing and deleting cannot be undone.
• To keep a copy first, select the people and press Export.

Steps

Archive or restore one contact

1. Open the contact's record and press the ··· button at the top right.
2. Choose Archive. A message says Contact archived with an Undo button.
3. To bring someone back, open Contacts, choose ··· › Restore archived contacts, open the person and choose ··· › Restore. Or use Restore on their row.

Archive many contacts

1. On Contacts, select the people.
2. Press Delete in the selection bar. The window asks Archive 45 contacts? and explains that nothing is lost.
3. Press Archive.

Delete a contact with no history

1. Open the contact and press ···. Delete permanently appears only when the contact has nothing on their record yet. Or use Delete in the row's ··· menu on the list.
2. Choose it. A message says Contact deleted.

Erase personal data

1. Open the contact and press ··· › Erase personal data.
2. Read the window: it removes their name, email, phone and form answers permanently; orders and revenue reports are kept.
3. Type ERASE and press Erase permanently. A message says Personal data erased.
4. For many people at once, select them on Contacts, press ··· in the selection bar, then Erase permanently. Type the number of contacts shown to confirm, and press Erase permanently.

What happens next

• Archived contacts leave the list, the count at the top, the pipeline and bulk sends. Their history is kept. They still count towards a plan's contact limit.
• An erased contact keeps an empty record marked Personal data erased on the date, so your sales figures still add up. They can't be edited, messaged or called, and a new booking with their old email address creates a fresh contact rather than restoring the old one.
• Every bulk archive and erase is listed on Contacts › Bulk Actions.

For agencies

Open the client first (Sub-accounts › Open). If a client's customer asks to be forgotten, erase them inside that client's account.

Troubleshooting

There is no Delete option. The contact has history, such as a note, a form, an order or a booking. Archive them, or erase them if they asked for their data to be removed.

The Erase permanently button stays grey. Type exactly ERASE in capitals on a single contact, or the exact number of contacts shown for a bulk erase.

I archived someone by mistake. Press Undo in the message straight away, or find them under ··· › Restore archived contacts and restore them.

An archived contact filled in a form again, but they aren't in my list. They were recognised by their email address (or phone number) and the form was added to their existing record, which stays archived. Restore them to work with them again.

Related

• Merge duplicate contacts
• Change, message or export many contacts at once
• Understand email unsubscribes and SMS and WhatsApp consent