> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.zarms.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why you can't delete cards

> You can't delete cards in ZARMS. This keeps the history of decisions and keeps each card connected to its doc and folder. Set cards you no longer need to Cancelled, and archive cards once they've been received.

You can't delete cards in ZARMS. Set work you no longer need to **Cancelled**, and **Archive** work that's finished and received. Either way, the record stays.

## To keep the history

ZARMS values keeping the history of decisions. "Why did we stop this?" and "Who handled this last time, and how?" are important clues the next time you do similar work. If you delete the card, you lose those clues.

## To keep docs and folders from being orphaned

When you create a card, ZARMS sets up a Google Doc and a Google Drive folder just for that card. The doc holds the description, and you can also write notes from meetings and discussions about the card there. The folder holds the deliverables.

If you deleted only the card, the doc and folder would stay in Drive with no way to tell what they were for. Keeping the card keeps that link to the files.

## What to do instead of deleting

| When | Do this | What happens |
| - | - | - |
| You decided not to do the work | Cancel it | Nobody has the ball. It isn't counted in completion rate or overdue counts |
| The work is done and the Receiver received it | Archive it | It's removed from lists and search, and becomes read-only |
| You created it by mistake | Cancel it | Leave the reason in a comment so others aren't confused later |

You can undo both Cancelled and Archive later. See [When to use Done, Cancelled, and Archive](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/cards/finish.md).

> [!TIP]
>
> If you mark stopped work as **Done**, your team's completion rate looks higher than it really is.
> Use Cancelled for work you stopped.

## Other things aren't deleted either

The same idea applies to boards and comments: you archive them. Members who have ever signed in aren't deleted. Their access is suspended instead, and their assignments and comments stay under their name ([Manage the member list and directory](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/team/members.md)).

Data is only actually erased when you delete an entire team ([Delete a team](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/admin/delete-team.md)) or your own personal data ([Delete your personal data](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/account/delete-personal-data.md)).

## Related articles

* [How ZARMS thinks about work](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/philosophy.md)
* [Why descriptions live in Google Docs](https://help.zarms.cloud/en/concepts/google-docs.md)


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