Archiving and restoring contacts
Over time your contacts list fills up with inquiries that went nowhere and clients from years ago. Archiving tidies it without losing a thing: the person drops out of your active list, and their bookings, invoices, documents and messages stay exactly where they were.
Archiving a contact
- Open the contact.
- Choose Archive contact from the three-dot More actions menu.
- Check the Reason. It starts as "No longer active" and you can change it. It needs at least three characters.
- Click Archive contact.
Their page now opens with an Archived contact notice: "Hidden from active lists. The history stays." Their money still counts in your finance report.
What an archived contact can't do
While a contact is archived:
- You can't edit their details
- You can't create a proposal, booking, invoice, contract, questionnaire or gallery for them
- You can't send them a message
You can still read everything about them, and you can still add, edit and delete their contact notes.
If you need to send them something or change their phone number, restore them first.
Restoring a contact
- On your contacts list, set the status filter to Archived or All contacts.
- Open the person.
- Click Restore contact in the Archived contact notice at the top of their page.
They're back in your active list exactly as they were. That notice is the only place the button lives, because an archived contact has no More actions menu.
If a client comes back after a couple of years, restore them rather than creating a new contact. Their history is worth having.
Why there's no delete
Contacts are attached to invoices, payments and signed contracts, so the record has to stay. Archiving is how you get someone out of the way.
Keeping your list tidy
- Archive old leads in batches. Once a quarter, filter to Leads, look at anyone you haven't heard from in six months, and archive them.
- Use the duplicate warning when you add someone. See Dealing with duplicate contacts.
- Write down why. The reason is for you, so make it useful: "Went with another photographer" tells future-you more than the default.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a contact permanently?
No. Because contacts are linked to financial records and signed documents, they can't be deleted. Archive them instead.
Do archived contacts still get reminders?
Archiving hides the contact and stops new work, but invoices and documents you already sent stay as they are. If you don't want an open invoice chasing them, cancel or write off the invoice. See Editing, cancelling or writing off an invoice.
Do archived contacts show in my finance report?
Yes. Payments from archived contacts still count, so your numbers stay accurate.
Can I link a gallery to an archived contact?
No. Restore the contact first, then create or link the gallery.