{"id":"delta-drive.what-does-orphaned-mean-in-delta-drive","url":"/faq/delta-drive/what-does-orphaned-mean-in-delta-drive","category":{"id":"delta-drive","title":"Delta Drive, Delta Trust & My Drive"},"subcategory":{"id":"organising","title":"Search, notes and versions"},"question":"What does 'Orphaned' mean in Delta Drive?","alt_questions":["Orphaned files Delta Drive","Files not changed in a year","Is it safe to delete orphaned files?","Delta Drive unchanged files"],"short_answer":"Orphaned lists files unchanged for over a year. It's only a date, not a verdict — files you rely on but never edit look the same — so review before moving anything to the trash.","answer_markdown":"**Orphaned** is a lens in Index & notes for files nothing has changed in over a year. It's a date, not a judgement: a file you never edit but rely on looks exactly the same from here as one you've forgotten.\n\nRead the list before acting on it. If something really isn't needed, **Move to Trash** keeps it recoverable until you empty the trash.\n\nAnalytics also shows anything nobody has opened since recording started. See [Analytics](/faq/delta-drive/what-does-delta-drive-analytics-show).","answer_html":"

Orphaned is a lens in Index & notes for files nothing has changed in over a year. It's a date, not a judgement: a file you never edit but rely on looks exactly the same from here as one you've forgotten.

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Read the list before acting on it. If something really isn't needed, Move to Trash keeps it recoverable until you empty the trash.

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Analytics also shows anything nobody has opened since recording started. See Analytics.

","answer_text":"Orphaned is a lens in Index & notes for files nothing has changed in over a year. It's a date, not a judgement: a file you never edit but rely on looks exactly the same from here as one you've forgotten.\n\nRead the list before acting on it. If something really isn't needed, Move to Trash keeps it recoverable until you empty the trash.\n\nAnalytics also shows anything nobody has opened since recording started. See Analytics.","tags":["orphaned","cleanup","delta drive"],"related":[{"id":"delta-drive.what-is-index-and-notes-in-delta-drive","question":"What is Index & notes in Delta Drive?","url":"/faq/delta-drive/what-is-index-and-notes-in-delta-drive"},{"id":"delta-drive.what-does-delta-drive-analytics-show","question":"What does Delta Drive Analytics show?","url":"/faq/delta-drive/what-does-delta-drive-analytics-show"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does 'Orphaned' mean in Delta Drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Orphaned lists files unchanged for over a year. It's only a date, not a verdict — files you rely on but never edit look the same — so review before moving anything to the trash.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Delta Drive, Delta Trust & My Drive","path":"/faq/delta-drive/"},{"name":"What does 'Orphaned' mean in Delta Drive?","path":"/faq/delta-drive/what-does-orphaned-mean-in-delta-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/delta-drive/what-does-orphaned-mean-in-delta-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does 'Orphaned' mean in Delta Drive?","alternateName":["Orphaned files Delta Drive","Files not changed in a year","Is it safe to delete orphaned files?","Delta Drive unchanged files"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Orphaned is a lens in Index & notes for files nothing has changed in over a year. It's a date, not a judgement: a file you never edit but rely on looks exactly the same from here as one you've forgotten.\n\nRead the list before acting on it. If something really isn't needed, Move to Trash keeps it recoverable until you empty the trash.\n\nAnalytics also shows anything nobody has opened since recording started. See Analytics.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/delta-drive/what-does-orphaned-mean-in-delta-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Delta Drive, Delta Trust & My Drive · Search, notes and versions

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What does 'Orphaned' mean in Delta Drive?

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Short answer: Orphaned lists files unchanged for over a year. It's only a date, not a verdict — files you rely on but never edit look the same — so review before moving anything to the trash.

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Orphaned is a lens in Index & notes for files nothing has changed in over a year. It's a date, not a judgement: a file you never edit but rely on looks exactly the same from here as one you've forgotten.

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Read the list before acting on it. If something really isn't needed, Move to Trash keeps it recoverable until you empty the trash.

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Analytics also shows anything nobody has opened since recording started. See Analytics.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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Also available as Markdown and JSON.

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