[GH-ISSUE #11741] feat: ability to recover deleted chats as admins #31869

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GiteaMirror · 2026-04-25T05:45:49-05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-25 05:45:49 -05:00

Originally created by @jiajunly on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/11741

Check Existing Issues

I have searched the existing issues and discussions.

Problem Description

Some users may want to recover a conversation after deleting it, but once it's deleted, it no longer exists in the database.

Desired Solution you'd like

Add a global setting, "Recoverable after deletion." When this setting is enabled, the deletion becomes a soft delete. Add a deleted_at field in the chats table, allowing users to delete conversations. After deletion, the conversation will no longer be visible to the user, but it will remain visible to administrators and can be recovered or deleted.

Alternatives Considered

Thanks very much!

Additional Context

No response

Originally created by @jiajunly on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/issues/11741 ### Check Existing Issues - [x] I have searched the existing issues and discussions. ### Problem Description Some users may want to recover a conversation after deleting it, but once it's deleted, it no longer exists in the database. ### Desired Solution you'd like Add a global setting, "Recoverable after deletion." When this setting is enabled, the deletion becomes a soft delete. Add a `deleted_at` field in the `chats` table, allowing users to delete conversations. After deletion, the conversation will no longer be visible to the user, but it will remain visible to administrators and can be recovered or deleted. ### Alternatives Considered Thanks very much! ### Additional Context _No response_

GiteaMirror closed this issue

2026-04-25 05:45:51 -05:00

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-25 05:45:51 -05:00

@Classic298 commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025):

Add another idea to this feature request:

add a trash where deleted conversations go to

@Classic298 commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025): Add another idea to this feature request: add a trash where deleted conversations go to

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-25 05:45:52 -05:00

@jiajunly commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025):

Add another idea to this feature request:

add a trash where deleted conversations go to

Yes! This is indeed useful, but in fact, the trash function has already been implemented through the new conversation folder feature. At least, that's how we've been using it.

@jiajunly commented on GitHub (Mar 16, 2025): > Add another idea to this feature request: > > add a trash where deleted conversations go to Yes! This is indeed useful, but in fact, the trash function has already been implemented through the new conversation folder feature. At least, that's how we've been using it.

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-25 05:45:52 -05:00

@taylorwilsdon commented on GitHub (Mar 17, 2025):

This strikes me as a user behavior / education opportunity rather than a code change, because Open-WebUI already has the Archive feature right above Delete - which is a soft delete that can be recovered or fully purged. You can already do exactly what you're describing today while still retaining the ability to actually delete chats, which many want (myself included).

Just my 2c, but delete should delete, I would be unhappy if I found out that my database continued to grow more and more bloated even though I thought I was deleting messages after mass import events that needed cleanup etc. Delete already has an "are you sure" confirmation so it's not like it's happening accidentally, and in the event someone important regrets their decision restoring it from a prior database snapshot would be the next step in my playbook.

@taylorwilsdon commented on GitHub (Mar 17, 2025): This strikes me as a user behavior / education opportunity rather than a code change, because Open-WebUI already has the `Archive` feature right above `Delete` - which is a soft delete that can be recovered or fully purged. You can already do exactly what you're describing today while still retaining the ability to actually delete chats, which many want (myself included). Just my 2c, but delete should delete, I would be unhappy if I found out that my database continued to grow more and more bloated even though I thought I was deleting messages after mass import events that needed cleanup etc. Delete already has an "are you sure" confirmation so it's not like it's happening accidentally, and in the event someone important regrets their decision restoring it from a prior database snapshot would be the next step in my playbook. <img width="255" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/25ede8e6-7d54-4a23-9c5f-14aabcc1b085" /> <img width="258" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7c75d080-67fe-47b3-9c57-aef251a031f7" /> <img width="915" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d7e4c447-01c2-4aa4-a22b-44845ea07d90" />

GiteaMirror commented

2026-04-25 05:45:53 -05:00

@tjbck commented on GitHub (Mar 19, 2025):

@taylorwilsdon agreed.

@tjbck commented on GitHub (Mar 19, 2025): @taylorwilsdon agreed.

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Reference: github-starred/open-webui#31869