Archive, delete and restore

Put blocks and prompts away with Archive, delete them, bring them back, or delete them for good.

When you no longer need a block, prompt or document, you can archive it or delete it. Neither is final straight away:

• Archive puts an item away until you bring it back. It stays in the archive for as long as you like.
• Delete moves an item to Recently deleted, where you can restore it for 30 days. After that it’s gone for good.

Both are on the Archive screen: click Archive in the sidebar, or press Ctrl+6. It has two tabs, Archived and Recently deleted.

Archive or delete?

Archive a block that prompts still use but you don’t want in your lists. Delete what you don’t need any more. On the Free plan, deleting is how you make room: archived items still count toward the 25 blocks and 15 prompts.

Archive or delete an item

1. On the Blocks, Prompts or Explorer screen, right-click the item.

2. Click Delete.

3. In the window that asks Remove …?, click Archive or Delete (Delete for everyone in a team library).

   

You can also open the item on the Blocks or Prompts screen and press the Delete key. To remove several items, tick their boxes and click Delete in the bar above the list; one window then covers them all.

If any Dynamic prompts use the block, the window warns you and lists them, for example Used by 2 dynamic prompts. It says what each choice does to them. See Archive or delete?.

Deleting a folder deletes what’s in it too: its blocks and prompts go to Recently deleted, but the folders themselves can’t be restored. See Delete a folder.

Bring back an archived item

1. Click Archive in the sidebar.

2. On the Archived tab, find the item. Type in Search archived… to search by name, type or kind.

   

3. Click Restore on its row.

The item goes back into its lists, in the folder it was in.

To restore several, tick their boxes and click Restore in the bar above the list. A line above the list confirms it, for example Restored 3 items.

The Archived tab lists the newest archived first, with each item’s kind, type, Original location and the date it was Archived. You can still change an archived item’s heart and stars here. The sidebar’s Favorites & Rating filter applies to this tab.

Delete from the archive

• One item: click Delete on its row, then Delete to confirm.
• Several: tick their boxes, click Delete in the bar above the list, then Delete.
• Everything: click Empty archive, then Empty archive to confirm. This includes items your search or filters are hiding; the window says how many.

These all move items to Recently deleted, where you can restore them for 30 days.

To select items across pages, tick the box in the heading row to select the page, then click Select all [n] to select every match.

Restore a deleted item

1. Click Archive in the sidebar, then the Recently deleted tab.

2. Find the item. Type in Search recently deleted… to search by name.

   

3. Click Restore on its row.

The item comes back for you (and, in a team library, for everyone). It returns to the folder it was in, or to no folder if that folder was deleted. A prompt’s embedded blocks come back with it.

To restore several, tick their boxes and click Restore in the bar above the list.

The Restorable until column shows the last day you can restore each item. Items past that date are removed the next time you start PromptMason.

On the Free plan, restoring counts like creating a new item. If it would take you over 25 blocks or 15 prompts, the Free plan limit message opens and the item stays in Recently deleted. Delete something else for good first, or see Plans and limits.

Delete for good

Deleting for good removes an item with its versions, comments, expected output and attached files. This can’t be undone. If you might need the item later, export your library first.

To delete some items for good:

1. Click Archive in the sidebar, then the Recently deleted tab.
2. Tick the box on each item.
3. Click Delete forever in the bar above the list.
4. Click Delete forever to confirm.

To delete everything in Recently deleted for good, click Empty Recently deleted, then Empty Recently deleted to confirm. This includes items your search is hiding.

Afterwards a line above the list says how many were deleted, for example Deleted 4 items forever.

Only the PromptMason app on your PC can delete for good. Connected AI apps and the Chrome extension can’t.

In a team library

Archive and delete work differently in a team library, because everyone shares the same items:

• Archive puts the item away for everyone in the library. Anyone who can edit the library can bring it back.
• Delete is labeled Delete for everyone. It removes the item for everyone. Only a library owner can restore it from Recently deleted, for 30 days.
• On the Recently deleted tab, an item you can’t restore shows Only an owner can restore, and its box can’t be ticked.
• Delete forever removes a team item from your PC only. Your teammates keep their own copies in Recently deleted until the 30 days are up.

If something doesn’t work

If an item can’t be restored or deleted, a line above the list says how many failed and why, for example Couldn’t restore 1 of 3 items. It’s still selected. followed by the reason. The others are done. Items that failed stay selected, so you can try again.

What isn’t kept in Recently deleted

These are deleted straight away and can’t be restored:

• Folders (their blocks and prompts do go to Recently deleted).
• Variables. See Variables.
• Comments and expected output entries you delete on their own. See Comments and Expected output.
• Tags you delete from the sidebar. See Delete a tag everywhere.

When your library is paused

If your library is paused (you’re on the Free plan with more than 25 blocks or 15 prompts, for example after your 14 days of Pro end), you can still archive, restore archived items, delete, and delete for good. Deleting is how you get back within the limits: items in Recently deleted don’t count, but archived items do. You can’t restore from Recently deleted while the library is paused. See When your library is paused.