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Best Practices for Archiving and Deleting Unused Assets

  • July 8, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 19 views
D

Hi Bynder Community,

We're currently reviewing our asset library and would like to understand how other organizations manage their asset lifecycle.

Our portal contains a large number of assets that were migrated into Bynder during our DAM migration, along with assets uploaded by users over the years. We've identified many assets that haven't been downloaded or used for more than 2 years, and we're considering archiving them.

I have a few questions:

--> What criteria do you use to decide when an asset should be archived?
No usage for 2 years? or morethan 2 years?
--> After archiving assets, how long do you typically keep them before permanently deleting them?
Do you have a standard retention policy (e.g., archive for 6 months or 1 year before deletion)?
Have you automated any part of this process using metadata, archive dates, or workflows?

We'd appreciate hearing how other organizations manage this process and any best practices you've found effective.

Thank you!

Best answer by Marie Lunney

Great question! In my experience, there isn't a universal retention policy. It really depends on your industry, the type of asset, and how your organization uses its DAM.

Rather than asking "How old is this asset?", I usually encourage customers to ask, "Does this asset still provide value, or does it create risk?"

Some common examples include:

  • Campaign assets: Archive once a campaign has ended and the content is no longer being reused. Many organizations keep these archived for 6–12 months before considering deletion in case the campaign needs to be referenced again.
  • Rights-managed content: Archive (or make unavailable) based on license or usage-right expiration dates, regardless of download activity.
  • Product imagery & packaging: Archive when a product is discontinued or when a newer approved version replaces the existing asset. Versioning can be especially helpful here to maintain history while ensuring users always find the current approved asset.
  • Brand assets: Logos, templates, and brand guidelines often remain active until there is a brand refresh. They are archived as soon as they become off-brand to minimize risk.

For inactivity-based policies, I've seen customers use anywhere from 1–3 years of no usage as a trigger for review, with 2 years being a fairly common starting point. Rather than automatically deleting those assets, many organizations first archive them, confirm they're no longer needed by stakeholders, and then permanently delete them after an additional review period (often 6–12 months). Archived assets remain available to administrators, so archiving provides a nice "safety net" before taking the irreversible step of deletion.

Related Community Posts:

Resources:


I recommend doing a full audit if you find your DAM has become a bit unruly or the metaproperties and roles are no longer reflecting your current business needs.

I'd also love to hear what others in the community are doing!

    1 reply

    Marie Lunney
    Community Manager
    • Marie Lunney
    • Community Manager
    • Answer
    • July 9, 2026

    Great question! In my experience, there isn't a universal retention policy. It really depends on your industry, the type of asset, and how your organization uses its DAM.

    Rather than asking "How old is this asset?", I usually encourage customers to ask, "Does this asset still provide value, or does it create risk?"

    Some common examples include:

    • Campaign assets: Archive once a campaign has ended and the content is no longer being reused. Many organizations keep these archived for 6–12 months before considering deletion in case the campaign needs to be referenced again.
    • Rights-managed content: Archive (or make unavailable) based on license or usage-right expiration dates, regardless of download activity.
    • Product imagery & packaging: Archive when a product is discontinued or when a newer approved version replaces the existing asset. Versioning can be especially helpful here to maintain history while ensuring users always find the current approved asset.
    • Brand assets: Logos, templates, and brand guidelines often remain active until there is a brand refresh. They are archived as soon as they become off-brand to minimize risk.

    For inactivity-based policies, I've seen customers use anywhere from 1–3 years of no usage as a trigger for review, with 2 years being a fairly common starting point. Rather than automatically deleting those assets, many organizations first archive them, confirm they're no longer needed by stakeholders, and then permanently delete them after an additional review period (often 6–12 months). Archived assets remain available to administrators, so archiving provides a nice "safety net" before taking the irreversible step of deletion.

    Related Community Posts:

    Resources:


    I recommend doing a full audit if you find your DAM has become a bit unruly or the metaproperties and roles are no longer reflecting your current business needs.

    I'd also love to hear what others in the community are doing!

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