Bulk deletion: Viewing and restoring deleted contacts (7-day rollback)

After a bulk delete, contacts are marked for deletion and can be viewed and restored from the Personal Data Deletion screen for 7 days. After this 7-day rollback window, they're permanently deleted and can't be restored. This follows on from running a bulk delete, as described in Bulk deletion: Setting up contact groups and running a bulk delete.

Viewing bulk deleted records

The Personal Data Deletion screen lists every contact included in a bulk deletion in the last 7 days, so you can check what's been deleted, who deleted it, and how long it can still be restored.

1. Click Tools (the cog) on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Personal Data Deletion

A list of the records included in any bulk deletion in the last 7 days is shown. You can search for contacts by Surname, User or Date Marked (for deletion). The list shows:

• The Contact name
• The contact's Address
• Deletion Date & User - the date and time the record was deleted, and the user who ran the bulk delete
• Restorable Until - the date and time until which the record can be restored

You can sort the list by Contact name or Restorable Until.

What does a contact look like within the 7-day window?

While a contact is marked for deletion, they can still be restored. If you open them from Recent & Favourite Contacts, their record still shows their name and address (if one was entered).

• You won't be able to see any other information about the person
• All tabs are removed and action buttons are disabled, so you can't contact them
• If you search for this person, they won't appear in any search results
• If the person had made an offer on a property or attended a viewing, for example, you'll still see their name and address

What does a contact look like after the 7-day window?

When the 7-day rollback window has passed, all of the person's data is permanently deleted and they can't be identified, even if you open them from Recent & Favourite Contacts.

• You won't be able to see any information about the person
• You won't be able to use any of the action menus or buttons
• If you search for this person, they won't appear in any search results
• If the person had made an offer on a property or attended a viewing, for example, you can still locate the record from the property, but their details are anonymised so the person can't be identified

Restoring bulk deleted records

If a contact was bulk deleted by mistake, you can restore them to their original state from the Personal Data Deletion screen, as long as it's before their Restorable Until date and time. You'll need the RestorePersonalInformation permission.

1. Click Tools (the cog) on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Personal Data Deletion
5. Tick the box at the start of each record you want to restore, or tick the box in the header to select all
6. Click Restore Personal Information
7. A message asks Are you sure you would like to restore x records?. Click Yes to restore the records, or click No to exit without restoring anything

The selected records are restored to their original state straight away and removed from the list, as they're no longer marked for deletion.

Records that can no longer be restored don't have a tickbox, so they're easy to spot:

These records stay on the screen until they're cleared. This happens automatically during the day, so you don't need to do anything.

• Related Help Centre articles that you may find useful.

  Individual data deletion

  Personal Information Requests

  Bulk deletion: Overview, validation rules & planning