# Document Retention

Source: https://www.digiparser.com/docs/guides/parsers/parser-settings/document-retention

ParsersParser Settings

# Document Retention

Control how long documents stay in DigiParser before automatic deletion

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# [Document Retention](#document-retention)

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**Document retention** lets you control how long DigiParser keeps documents in a parser.

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You can choose to:

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*   Keep documents forever
*   Automatically delete them after a time period (for example, 30 days)

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This helps if you want to keep your workspace clean or follow your own data retention policy.

## [Where to find it](#where-to-find-it)

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1.  Open your parser and go to **Settings -> Parser Settings**.
2.  Scroll to **Parsing Configuration**.
3.  Find **Document retention**.

app.digiparser.com![Parser Settings showing Document retention with Keep forever and Auto-delete after options](https://documents.digiparser.com/docs/screenshots/2026-07-23/parser-settings-data-retention-clean.png?sig=235d4b5ed12ecd1692cc25ac3ffd30eaba683e903a6febb02e6b04776048d0a1)

## [Retention options](#retention-options)

### [Keep forever](#keep-forever)

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Choose **Keep forever** if you want documents to stay in DigiParser until someone deletes them manually.

### [Auto-delete after](#auto-delete-after)

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Choose **Auto-delete after** if you want documents to be removed automatically after a set time.

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1.  Select **Auto-delete after**.
2.  Enter a number.
3.  Choose a unit: **Days**, **Weeks**, **Months**, or **Years**.
4.  Click **Save Parser**.

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The minimum value is **1 day**.

## [What gets deleted](#what-gets-deleted)

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Auto-delete applies to **every document in the parser**, regardless of status:

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*   Processed or approved
*   Failed
*   Skipped
*   Uploading
*   Queued
*   Processing

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Finished documents are counted from the time they finished. Documents that have not finished are counted from the time they were uploaded.

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This is a permanent deletion of the document and its stored files. Export or download anything you need before shortening the retention period.

## [Tips](#tips)

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*   Start with a longer period first (for example, 30 days), then shorten later if needed.
*   If your team audits older documents, keep a longer retention period.
*   Export important data before reducing retention time.

## [Next steps](#next-steps)

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*   [Exporting Data](/docs/guides/managing-data/exporting-data) - Export data before old documents are removed
*   [Managing Parsers](/docs/guides/parsers/parser-settings/managing-parsers) - Pause, resume, or delete parsers
*   [Credits and Billing](/docs/guides/troubleshooting/credits-and-billing) - Understand billing and account behavior

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