You’re tidying up your files. Click. Drag. Trash. Done. Then, wait… was that the wrong folder? Yes. Yes it was. And it had your tax documents in it.
Take a breath. In pCloud, deleted doesn’t mean gone. It means moved to Trash.
So what is Trash, exactly?
It’s the room your files go to right after you delete them. They sit there for a while, just in case you change your mind. If you do, you can put them right back where they were. If you don’t, they get cleaned up for good. It works for both files, and folders. Anything that leaves your active storage usually makes a stop in Trash before it’s really gone.
The files in Trash do NOT count towards your storage quota, they have their own — 50 GB on Free, up to 50% of your storage on Paid. When it fills up, the oldest files start to get cleared automatically to make room for what you just deleted. That way you always have space for your freshest mistakes.
How long your files stay
Different plans, different grace periods:
- Free — 15 days
- Premium — 30 days
- Lifetime and Business — 180 days
After that, files are permanently deleted. Well, unless you’ve got Extended File History, but more on that further down.
How to Use Trash
To restore a file go to Trash > Select the file > Hit the Restore icon > Select location
To empty Trash permanently, manually go to Trash > Empty Trash > Confirm
What happens when Trash gets full?
We’ll send you a friendly email when your Trash hits 80% so you can take a look. If you don’t act and it fills all the way up, pCloud clears the oldest files to keep things moving.
Need more time?
Extended File History does what it says on the tin. It keeps your deleted files and old versions around for up to 365 days, no matter which plan you’re on.
It’s a good fit if you:
- Work on long-running projects where old drafts and edits matter.
- Need a longer undo window for compliance reasons.
- Just like the idea of a really, really long memory.
TL;DR
- Delete a file and it goes to Trash, not the void.
- You have 15, 30, or 180 days to restore it, depending on your plan.
- Trash gets 50 GB on Free or up to 50% of your storage on Paid.
- We email you when Trash is filling up and when files actually get cleared.
- Want more time? Extended File History stretches recovery to 365 days.
