Recover deleted projects, categories, elements, fields, views, document blocks, and files in Layer. The archive holds for 30 days; each item type has its own restore path.
Mike Lee
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Layer keeps an archive of deleted project data for 30 days. Almost everything in a project can be recovered within that window, but the path to restore differs by item type. This article covers what is recoverable, where to find the restore action, and what to expect after a successful restore.
What you can recover
Item type | Recoverable | Time window | Restore path |
|---|---|---|---|
Project | Yes | 30 days | Trash tab on the project dashboard; contact support to un-archive |
Category | Yes | 30 days | Contact support to un-archive |
Element | Yes | 30 days | Recover button on the deleted element's detail pane, or contact support |
Field (column) | Yes | 30 days | Revert Change in the project Activity feed, or contact support |
Saved view | Yes | 30 days | Contact support |
Document View block (e.g. Conditional Container) | Yes (while editing) | Until view is saved | Undo in the editor (Ctrl/Cmd+Z), or revert to a prior saved state through support |
File or photo | Yes | 30 days | Recover the parent element if the file was on a deleted element; otherwise contact support |
Deletion outside the 30-day window is permanent. If you anticipate needing data that is older than 30 days, run Export Project Data periodically as a backup. See Bulk photo and file downloads for how to run a full project export.
How to restore by item type
Restore a project
Deleted projects appear in the Trash tab on the project dashboard. To restore:
Open the Layer dashboard.
Click the Trash tab.
Locate the project.
Contact support through the chat icon or help@layer.team to un-archive the project.
Support responds during business hours. Provide the project name and approximate deletion date to speed up the process.
Restore a category
Categories cannot be self-restored from the dashboard. Contact support with the project name, the category name, and approximately when it was deleted. Support un-archives the category, and it reappears in the project with its elements and field configuration intact.
Restore an element
After deleting an element, a red bar at the top of the element detail pane indicates the element was deleted. Click the Recover button on that bar to restore the element. The element returns to its category with its field values and files intact.
If you navigate away from the deleted element detail pane before clicking Recover, the bar is no longer accessible. Contact support to recover the element by name or approximate ID.
Restore a field
Deleted fields appear in the project Activity feed. To restore:
Open the Activity panel from the top of the left navigation.
Find the field deletion event.
Click Revert Change next to the event.
The field returns with its values on existing elements preserved.
Things to expect after a field restore:
The restored field reappears at the bottom of the category's field list, not in its original position. Drag it back into place if the order matters.
The field's values on existing elements are preserved.
The field will need to be re-added to any saved Table Views, Document Views, or other views that had it before deletion. Restoration does not automatically re-add the field to view configurations.
If the field was deleted more than 30 days ago, or if you cannot find the event in Activity, contact support.
Restore a saved view
Deleted views do not appear in the Activity feed in the same way as field deletions. Contact support with the project name, the category, and the view name to un-archive a view.
Restore a Document View block
Document View blocks deleted during an editing session can be restored with undo (Ctrl/Cmd+Z) as long as the view has not been saved since the deletion. Once saved, recovering a single block requires reverting the view to a prior saved state, which support can do by request.
Restore a file
Files attached to a recovered element come back with the element. Files on a deleted-and-then-recovered file field are similarly preserved. Files deleted independently of their parent element are not recoverable from the UI; contact support if the file is critical.
Element IDs after restore
Element IDs and element numbers may behave differently depending on how the deletion was handled. If your project references element IDs in external systems, API integrations, or pinned links, verify the ID after restoring before relying on it.
If an element is permanently deleted (after the 30-day window) and a new element is later created in the same category, the new element receives the next available element number rather than reusing the deleted element's ID.
When in doubt, contact support before or after restore to confirm the resulting ID matches what your downstream systems expect.
After clicking Recover
A brief delay (a few seconds) is normal between clicking Recover and seeing the item reappear in the view. Refresh the page if the item does not appear within a minute. If a recovery action does not appear to take effect after a refresh, contact support rather than repeatedly clicking the recover button.
When to contact support
Contact support for any of these cases:
The item was deleted more than 30 days ago.
The item is a project or a category (no self-service restore path).
The item is a view, a Document View block from a saved revision, or a file detached from its parent.
The Recover action did not work and a refresh did not bring the item back.
Provide as much detail as possible: the project name, the type of item, the item's name or ID if known, the approximate deletion date, and who deleted it. Support uses this information to find the archive entry quickly.
Additional resources
