What happens when you delete a file?
Deletion, the 30-day trash and permanent deletion: what happens to a file after you delete it, and why permanent deletion is irreversible.
Deleting a file removes it from your active view. Deletion does not erase the file immediately: it moves to the trash, where it stays recoverable for 30 days. After that period, it is queued for permanent deletion, an irreversible process.
The trash: 30 days
After a deletion, your files stay in the trash for 30 days. During this period, you can restore them: see Restore a deleted file.
During these 30 days, the file no longer appears in your active view, but it has not been erased yet. If you deleted a file by mistake, you therefore have this window to get it back.
Permanent deletion
After the 30-day period, the file can no longer be restored from the app and is queued for permanent deletion. Each file is encrypted with its own key, stored only in wrapped (encrypted) form. The permanent-deletion pipeline removes every stored copy and version of the file, together with the wrapped key material that protects it.
Once the purge completes, the ciphertext is unreadable everywhere it existed — active storage as well as backups — and no one, including Everabyte, can recover the file. Where a retention lock or legal hold applies, deletion is deferred until the lock lifts, as described in our Privacy Policy.
Important — Permanent deletion is irreversible. Once the purge has completed, no file can be restored. Check the contents of your trash before the end of the 30-day period.
If you are unsure about a file, keep it in your space rather than deleting it: restoring is only possible during the trash period, and permanent deletion cannot be undone.
Common issues
Can I restore a deleted file?
Yes, for 30 days: the file stays in the trash and can be restored. See the dedicated restore article.
Can a permanently deleted file be recovered?
No. The purge removes every stored copy and version together with the wrapped key material that protects the file — the data becomes unreadable, including in backups.
How long does the trash keep files?
30 days. After that period, files leave the trash and are queued for permanent deletion.
Why is the purge final?
Because every stored copy and version of the file is removed, together with the wrapped key material protecting it: without it, the remaining ciphertext can no longer be read.
Are deleting and purging the same thing?
No. Deleting removes the file from your active view and moves it to the trash for 30 days; the purge, after that period, erases it permanently.
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