How to Recover Deleted Issues in Ninety
When you delete an Issue in Ninety, it isn't gone for good. Deleted Issues move to your team's Trash (the Deleted Issues page), where they stay for 90 days, giving you time to restore them or permanently remove them. Every role except Observer can open the Trash; what you can restore or permanently delete depends on your role.
This feature is available on the Essentials plan and up on the web app.
Who can recover deleted Issues
Access to the Issues Trash depends on your role. Every role except Observer can open the Trash and view the team's deleted Issues, but restore and permanent-delete permissions vary by role.
Role | See deleted Issues | Restore | Permanently delete |
Owner, Admin, Implementer | All | All | All |
Manager | All | All | Only Issues they own |
Managee/Team Member | All | Only Issues they own | Only Issues they own |
Observer | No access | — | — |
For a full breakdown of what each role can do, see User Roles and Permissions.
How to view the Issues Trash
The Trash holds the deleted Issues for the team you're currently viewing. Issues are organized by type — Short-Term and Long-Term — each with its own Trash. To open it:
Click Issues from the left navigation.
Select a team from the Team dropdown.
Click the ellipsis (…) to open the more actions menu.
Select View Trash from the options shown.
The Deleted Short-Term Issues page opens, listing the team's recently deleted Short-Term Issues with their owner and deletion date. To view deleted Long-Term Issues, switch to the Long-Term tab on the Issues page and open the Trash from there.
To return to your team's Issues page, click Back to Short-Term Issues or Back to Long-Term Issues at the top left.
How to delete an Issue
Deleting an Issue moves it to the Trash, where it stays recoverable for 90 days. To delete an Issue:
On the Issues page, click the ellipsis (…) at the end of the Issue's row.
Select Delete from the options shown.
In the confirmation popup, click Delete to confirm.
Deleting moves the Issue and its associated content to the Trash for 90 days.
Tip: If your team has already discussed an Issue, consider archiving it rather than deleting it. Archived Issues remain searchable, so your team can check whether a similar topic has come up before. Delete when an Issue was created by mistake or belongs in a different tool — such as a To-Do or Headline.
How to restore a deleted Issue
Restoring an Issue returns it to your team's active Issues page. To restore an Issue:
Open the Trash by following the steps in "How to view the Issues Trash" above.
Click the ellipsis (…) at the end of the deleted Issue's row.
Select Restore from the options shown.
The Issue reappears on the team's Issues page.
Important: Linked items are not restored when an Issue is created. If you created a linked Rock, To-Do, or Headline from the Issue before deleting it, those links will be removed and won't reappear when you restore the Issue. You'll need to recreate them.
How to permanently delete an Issue
Permanently deleting an Issue removes it from the Trash. Owners, Admins, and Implementers can permanently delete any Issue; Managers and Managees/Team Members can permanently delete only Issues they own. To permanently delete an Issue:
Open the Trash by following the steps in "How to view the Issues Trash" above.
Click the ellipsis (…) at the end of the deleted Issue's row.
Select Delete forever from the options shown.
Click Delete Forever in the confirmation popup.
Once an Issue is permanently deleted, it no longer appears in the Trash and cannot be restored on your own. If you need it back, contact support.
Exporting your deleted Issues
You can export a copy of the Deleted Issues page for your records. From the Trash, click the ellipsis (…) to open the more actions menu, then choose one of the following:
Print to PDF to save or print the list as a PDF.
Download Excel to export the list as a spreadsheet (.csv).
The export reflects the deleted Issues shown for the currently selected team and tab (Short-Term or Long-Term).
Good to know about deleted Issues
Deleted Issues stay in the Trash for 90 days, then Ninety permanently removes them automatically.
Short-Term and Long-Term Issues each have their own Trash. If you can't find a deleted Issue, check both.
Only Issues deleted after this feature's release appear in the Trash. Issues deleted earlier won't be listed.
Linked items (such as a linked Rock or To-Do) are not restored when you restore an Issue.
The Trash is specific to the selected team. Use the Team dropdown to view another team's deleted Issues.
Troubleshooting
I don't see View Trash in the menu.
The Trash is available to every role except Observer on the Essentials plan and up, and only in the web app. Confirm that you've selected a team from the Team dropdown and that your role isn't Observer.
I restored an Issue, but its linked Rock or To-Do is missing.
Linked items aren't restored when an Issue is restored. Recreate the linked item from the restored Issue's details panel.
I can't permanently delete an Issue.
Managers and Managees/Team Members can permanently delete only the Issues they own. Ask an Owner, Admin, or Implementer to permanently delete Issues owned by someone else.
A deleted Issue isn't in the Trash.
Confirm you've selected the correct team from the Team dropdown and checked both the Short-Term and Long-Term Trash. Only Issues deleted after this feature's release appear in the Trash, and Issues deleted more than 90 days ago are permanently removed. If a recently deleted Issue still isn't there, contact support.