# How can I soft-delete a topic?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 4, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300 "2015-05-04T19:34:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/1 "2015-05-04T19:34:51Z")
I can turn it invisible, close it and delete it, but how can I soft-delete it in case I need to see the content or IP of the author in the future?
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@downey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/downey)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/2 "2015-05-04T19:41:26Z")
Is there any difference in those actions? (Unlisted vs. “soft delete”)
If so what might those differences be in your mind?
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/3 "2015-05-04T19:50:24Z")
-With unlisted, people can still access the topic via direct URL linking or via search engines.
-With soft-delete, only admins or moderators can still access the topic.
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### Author:  [@lisajill](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lisajill)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/4 "2015-05-04T19:56:48Z")
We’ve moved those posts to a private category when necessary.
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/5 "2015-05-04T20:40:03Z")
That works, but it is a workaround. Most systems do have a soft-delete, for security purposes (IE: a legal entity requesting an IP of a post, etc)
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/6 "2015-05-04T20:43:35Z")
Yes, that would be the solution. There is a UI provision in the edit history for hiding revisions of a post if someone posts a SSN or phone #, etc.
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/7 "2015-05-04T20:45:11Z")
Can you explain more? what do you mean by a UI provision?
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/8 "2015-05-04T20:47:30Z")
There is a button to hide edit revisions in the edit history dialog. A trashcan button. This only hides the specific revision though.
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/9 "2015-05-04T20:58:36Z")
Yeah I see what you mean. Anyway I think there is a fair point of having some sort of soft-delete for forums that need to maintain the posts for legal issues, because if you are requested to show the original post info and you don’t have it, you can be blamed for that, in some countries.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/10 "2015-05-04T21:00:52Z")
Isn’t “Delete Topic” a soft-delete? You can still get to it using ?status=deleted, I don’t know how long they stick around, but I know they still exist for a while.
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/11 "2015-05-04T21:02:36Z")
Yep for a while, but then they are deleted. Suppose they are deleted and you need to deliver information for legal purposes say, after 2 months? that’s why soft-delete is missing in this case.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/12 "2015-05-04T21:12:21Z")
Hmm… I just checked our instance and we have some deleted topics that go back to 2010.
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### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/13 "2015-05-04T21:51:43Z")
“Delete Topic” topics aren’t purged from the database.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/14 "2015-05-04T21:57:14Z")
> [@rodrigofarcas](#):
>
> Suppose they are deleted and you need to deliver information for legal purposes say, after 2 months? that’s why soft-delete is missing in this case.
This is not correct, deleted stuff is never purged.
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/15 "2015-05-04T22:00:16Z")
And how you access them?
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/16 "2015-05-04T22:00:51Z")
@rodrigofarcas your answer was posted upstream.
> [@cpradio](#):
>
> You can still get to it using ?status=deleted
Also on a user’s profile look for the number of deleted at the top.. and click on it. (This does assume you know which user owned the deleted content, though..)
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/17 "2015-05-04T22:02:58Z")
> [@cpradio](#):
>
> ?status=deleted
So if I browse [forumsurl.com/?status=deleted](http://forumsurl.com/?status=deleted) it will list all deleted topics? or how can I use that parameter?
Cheers
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/18 "2015-05-04T22:11:37Z")
Yes it will list all deleted topics. You can also do it on the category latest pages too so you only see deleted topics in a given category
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### Author:  [@rodrigofarcas](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rodrigofarcas)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/19 "2015-05-04T22:13:30Z")
> [@rodrigofarcas](#):
>
> /?status=deleted
It does not work for me, it shows the same content as browsing [forumsurl.com](http://forumsurl.com)
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-can-i-soft-delete-a-topic/28300/20 "2015-05-04T22:16:57Z")
What is your home page set as and what version of Discourse are you on?
Edit: You do have to use the querystring on the latest page (or the category latest page)
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