TL;DR
Project archiving in Plutio hides completed projects from the active workspace without deleting any data, so freelancers and agencies can focus on current client work while keeping full access to past project records whenever needed.
Plutio marks a project as archived with a single action, moving it out of the active project list and into the archive section under Settings > Management > Archive. Every task, file, invoice, time entry, and conversation stays attached to the archived project. Over 60% of Plutio workspaces with 15+ projects use archiving monthly to keep the active list under 10 projects, which cuts the time spent scanning for current work from minutes to seconds.
Project archiving comes with all Plutio plans starting at $19/month, with a 7-day free trial. Restoring an archived project takes one click and returns it to the active project list with all data intact.
What project archiving is
Project archiving is the process of removing a completed or inactive project from the active project list without deleting the project or any of its associated data, so the workspace shows only the projects that need current attention.
In Plutio, every project has an archived state controlled by the isArchived flag. When a project gets archived, Plutio removes it from the default project list view, from task filters, and from active search results. The project and all of its contents still exist in full and remain accessible through the archive section in Settings > Management > Archive.
What archiving preserves
Archived projects in Plutio retain every piece of data that was attached before archiving. Tasks (including subtasks, assignments, and due dates) remain in place. Files uploaded to the project stay stored and downloadable. Invoices linked to the project keep their payment status, line items, and transaction history. Time entries logged against the project preserve their billing rates, durations, and billable amounts. Conversations and messages within the project stay threaded and searchable from the archive. Nothing gets deleted, compressed, or moved to a different storage tier.
Archive versus delete
Deleting a project in Plutio permanently removes the project and everything inside it: tasks, files, invoices, and time entries all disappear. Archiving keeps the project fully intact but hidden from the active workspace. The distinction matters for freelancers who need to reference old invoices for tax season, pull files from a past client engagement, or check how many hours were billed on a completed retainer. Archiving gives the workspace a clean slate without the risk of losing historical records.
I used to leave every finished project in my list because I was afraid of losing the files. Archiving let me clean up 40 projects in one afternoon and I can still pull up any of them.
The core mechanic: archiving flips a single flag on the project record, which means Plutio can hide and restore projects instantly without moving or duplicating any data.
Why project archiving matters for freelancers
Freelancers who complete 20+ client projects per year accumulate a project list that becomes harder to navigate with every finished engagement. A web designer finishing 3 projects per month has 36 completed projects mixed into the active list by December, and finding the 4 current projects means scrolling past 36 that no longer need attention. The navigation overhead adds up to 3 to 5 minutes per session locating the right project, which across 5 sessions per day totals over an hour per week spent navigating instead of working.
The alternative, deleting old projects, removes the clutter but destroys the records. A freelancer who deletes a completed project in January and gets a tax audit in April has no way to recover the invoices, time entries, or payment records attached to that project. Agencies face the same problem at larger scale: a 5-person team completing 8 projects per month generates 96 dead projects per year that clog dashboards, task views, and reporting filters.
Asana offers project archiving on the Premium plan at $10.99/user/month billed annually, but archiving in Asana does not hide the project from search results, and archived projects still count toward workspace limits. Monday.com includes archiving on all plans, but archived boards lose their automations and integrations on restore. Without archiving, the only options are living with a cluttered workspace or deleting projects and losing the data attached to them, both of which cost time or create risk that grows with every completed engagement.
Plutio's archiving removes the project from active views completely while preserving every record, so the workspace stays focused on current work and historical data remains one click away in Settings > Management > Archive.
How project archiving works in Plutio
Open a completed project, archive it from the project settings, and the project disappears from the active list while all tasks, files, invoices, time entries, and conversations stay intact in the archive.
Before archiving, make sure any pending invoices on the project are sent and any active timers are stopped, since archived projects no longer appear in the active timer dropdown.
Step by step
- Step 1: Open the project to archive. Click the project settings menu (the gear icon or the three-dot menu on the project header). Select the Archive option from the dropdown.
- Step 2: Plutio sets the project's isArchived flag to true and removes it from the active project list, task filters, and default search results. The project no longer appears in project dropdowns when creating new tasks, invoices, or time entries.
- Step 3: The archived project appears in Settings > Management > Archive alongside all other archived projects. Each entry shows the project name, client, and the date it was archived.
- Step 4: To access an archived project's data, navigate to Settings > Management > Archive and click the project name. All tasks, files, invoices, time entries, and conversations are visible and accessible from the archived project view.
- Step 5: To restore a project, open it from the archive section and click Restore (or Unarchive). Plutio flips the isArchived flag back to false and the project returns to the active project list with all data intact, exactly as it was before archiving.
Practical tip: archive projects in batches at the end of each month or quarter. Open Settings > Management > Archive to review what has been archived, and restore any project that needs attention again, the restore takes one click and nothing is lost.
Who needs project archiving
Freelancers and agencies completing more than 10 projects per year get the most value from project archiving, particularly those who bill per project and need clean workspace navigation between active engagements.
A freelance photographer shooting 4 weddings per month finishes 48 projects per year. Without archiving, the project list becomes a 48-item scroll by December, with only 3-4 current shoots needing attention. Archiving each wedding project after final delivery and payment keeps the active list at 3-4 projects year-round. The same pattern applies to web developers finishing site builds, consultants wrapping up advisory engagements, and virtual assistants cycling through client retainers that end after a set term.
Agencies with 3-5 team members sharing a Plutio workspace see the clutter multiply faster. A marketing agency completing 6 client campaigns per month generates 72 completed projects per year. Every team member navigates that full list when assigning tasks, logging time, or creating invoices. Archiving completed campaigns reduces the active project count to just the current month's work, which makes task assignment, time logging, and invoice creation faster for every person on the team.
Freelancers switching from Trello are familiar with board archiving, which Trello offers on the free plan. Trello's archive hides boards from the workspace but does not include invoicing, time tracking, or file management within the board, so archiving a Trello board only hides the task view. In Plutio, archiving a project hides everything: tasks, files, invoices, time entries, contracts, and conversations, all under one archived record. HoneyBook has no project archive feature, so freelancers using HoneyBook must either leave completed projects in the active list or delete them and lose the associated records.
Bottom line: any freelancer or agency that finishes projects regularly and wants a clean, focused workspace without risking data loss needs project archiving built into the same platform where projects, invoices, and files already live.
