Safe Delete function in NextCloud

How the deleted files app manages storage space

To ensure that users do not run over their storage quotas, the Deleted Files app allocates a maximum of 50% of their currently available free space to deleted files. If your deleted files exceed this limit, Nextcloud deletes the oldest files (files with the oldest timestamps from when they were deleted) until it meets the memory usage limit again.

Nextcloud checks the age of deleted files every time new files are added to the deleted files. By default, deleted files stay in the trash bin for 30 days.  Nextcloud calculates the maximum available space every time a new file is added. If the deleted files exceed the new maximum allowed space Nextcloud will permanently delete those trashed files with the soonest expiration until the space limit is met again.

Quotas

What happens when shared files are deleted

Deleting files gets a little complicated when they are shared files, as this scenario illustrates:

1. User1 shares a folder “test” with User2 and User3
2. User2 (the recipient) deletes a file/folder “sub” inside of “test”
3. The folder “sub” will be moved to the trash bin of both User1 (owner) and User2 (recipient)
4. But User3 will not have a copy of “sub” in their trash bin

When User1 deletes “sub” then it is moved to User1’s trash bin. It is deleted from User2 and User3, but not placed in their trash bins.

When you share files, other users may copy, rename, move, and share them with other people, just as they can for any computer files; Nextcloud does not have magic powers to prevent this.