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

# Data retention

> Set how long workbook data sticks around before it's automatically purged, and what happens when an account is closed.

By default, workbook data stays in Vern indefinitely. If your compliance posture requires bounded retention, set a retention policy and Vern will purge automatically on a schedule.

## Set the policy

Go to **Settings → Data retention**. Pick a window:

* **Forever** — data stays until you delete it. This is the default.
* **7 days**
* **30 days**
* **90 days**
* **180 days**
* **365 days**

Each window is measured from the workbook's **last activity**. These are the only
accepted values — retention is a fixed set of presets rather than a free-text
number of days, so there's no "custom" window.

The policy applies to every company under your account.

## What gets purged

When a workbook passes its retention window, Vern deletes:

* Workbook sheet data (cell values)
* Uploaded source files
* Import run history, the agent conversation, and any saved migration state
* Export files generated from that workbook

Separately, and regardless of workbook activity, Vern sweeps company-scoped data
that used to accumulate indefinitely:

* **Integration logs** — including the datasets and embeddings derived from them
* **Cached import questions and answers** — free text reused across runs

Short-lived artefacts have their own fixed windows and are removed independently
of your policy:

* **Export jobs** and their files — 24 hours
* **Document extractions** and their results — 24 hours

The company itself, magic links, and templates aren't touched — only customer data.

## What "last activity" means

The clock resets every time a user edits a sheet, runs an import, or makes other changes within the workbook. A workbook in active onboarding never expires; an abandoned one will.

## Closing an account

When you offboard a customer or close an account, Vern removes **everything
belonging to that tenant** — workbooks and their files, integration logs, cached
questions, stored credentials, and cached values — not just the data a retention
window would have caught.

Stored source credentials are purged from the secret store and any cached copies
cleared at the same time, so a deleted tenant leaves no usable credential behind.

<Note>
  Offboarding is deliberately not a self-serve button. It's irreversible bulk
  deletion, so it runs as a confirmed operation with a dry-run first — ask us and
  we'll walk it through with you.
</Note>

## Access and audit

Two things worth knowing when someone asks how customer data is protected day to
day:

* **Exporting is Admin-only.** Downloading a sheet or workbook is restricted to
  Admins, because it materialises a full dataset into a file that leaves Vern.
  See [Team](/help-center/settings/team).
* **Administrative actions and data access are logged.** Vern keeps an
  append-only record of privileged operations, so "who exported this, and when?"
  has an answer.

Uploaded logos and avatars are stored privately and served through short-lived
signed links rather than public URLs.

## Compliance posture

This is the simplest path to a data-minimization story. If your customers ask "how long does Vern keep our data?", this is the answer.

For stronger guarantees (per-workbook policies, immediate purge), [contact us](mailto:roupen@vern.so).

## Next

* [Team](/help-center/settings/team) — roles, and who can export.
* [API keys](/help-center/settings/api-keys) — control programmatic access.