---
id: settings.what-does-keep-up-to-versions-mean
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/settings/what-does-keep-up-to-versions-mean
category: "Settings & keep-time"
subcategory: "Keep-time and retention"
question: "What does \"Keep up to … versions of each file\" mean in the Recycle Vault?"
alt_questions:
  - "Recycle Vault versions"
  - "Same file removed twice storage studio"
  - "Older versions cleared recycle vault"
  - "How many copies of a removed file are kept?"
short_answer: "It caps how many removed versions of the same file the vault keeps — 5 by default. Going over the cap clears only that file's oldest version, never unrelated files."
tags: ["recycle vault", "versions", "keep time"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/settings/what-can-i-change-in-recycle-vault-settings"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What does "Keep up to … versions of each file" mean in the Recycle Vault?

If the same file is removed more than once, the Recycle Vault keeps each removal as a separate recoverable version. This setting caps how many versions of *one* file are kept — 5 by default. When a newer removal goes over the cap, the oldest version of that same file is cleared.

It never clears unrelated files to make room; it only trims the history of that one file.