---
id: delta-drive.why-cant-i-choose-a-shorter-or-longer-version-period
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/delta-drive/why-cant-i-choose-a-shorter-or-longer-version-period
category: "Delta Drive, Delta Trust & My Drive"
subcategory: "Search, notes and versions"
question: "Why can't I keep versions for less than three months, or longer than the folder above?"
alt_questions:
  - "Shortest version period Delta Drive"
  - "Version option greyed out"
  - "Can't choose Forever for a subfolder"
  - "Longest version window Delta Drive"
short_answer: "Three months is the minimum so nobody loses a version they need, and a folder can't keep versions longer than its parent. Shortening shows what would be deleted before you save; current copies always stay."
tags: ["versions", "retention", "delta drive"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/delta-drive/how-do-i-keep-old-versions-of-files-in-delta-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/delta-drive/how-do-i-see-how-much-space-old-versions-use"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why can't I keep versions for less than three months, or longer than the folder above?

Two rules. **Three months is the shortest we offer** — below that someone loses the version they needed, and going back is the whole point of keeping them. And a folder can be set **shorter than the one it sits in, never longer**: longer options simply aren't offered inside a limited folder, and the screen says why.

A year is the longest fixed window. *Forever* inside a limited folder means "as long as the folder above allows", which is why it's always available.

Shortening is a decision to delete, so the screen shows how many copies would go and roughly how much space that frees **before** you press Save. The current copy of every file always stays.