Deleting a category in Docs is quick. Plannerly protects your data by archiving sections instead of permanently deleting them.
Cleaning up categories keeps your documents structured and readable. Because sections are archived instead of deleted, you can safely reorganize content without losing important information.
Delete a category in Docs
Deleting a category is fast and designed to be reversible where it matters most - at the section level.
How to delete a category
- Go to Docs.
- Open your document, such as an OIR, AIR, or EIR.
- Hover over the right-hand end of the category row.
- Click the trash (archive) icon.
- Confirm.
If you are unsure, delete the category. You can restore the archived sections individually later if needed.
Why the trash icon says archive
The category is removed, but its sections are archived. This allows recovery of content without keeping unused categories cluttering your Docs.
What happens when you delete a category
Deleting a category in Docs is not a hard delete. Plannerly is designed to protect your work while keeping documents clean and manageable.
What gets deleted vs archived
- The category itself is removed.
- All sections inside the category are archived.
- Archived sections can be restored one by one.
Restore is available at the section level only. Categories cannot be restored once deleted.
What this means in practice
- If you delete a category by mistake, you can still recover the sections.
- If the category name mattered, recreate it and move restored sections back into it.
- This prevents unused or outdated categories from accumulating over time.
Common customer moment
“I thought I lost everything when I deleted a category. The sections were archived and I restored only what we needed.”
View archived sections
When a category is deleted, its sections remain in the document but are hidden by default.
Show archived sections
- Click the Filter icon in Docs.
- Enable Archived sections.
- Archived sections will appear in the list.
If you cannot see what you expect, confirm you are in the correct document (OIR, AIR, EIR, etc.) and that other filters are not hiding results.
Restore sections from a deleted category
Archived sections can be restored individually and moved into a new or existing category.
Restore a section
- Enable Archived sections.
- Find the section you need.
- Open the section actions menu and select Restore.
After restoring, the section returns to your active Docs list and can be reorganized as needed.
Recreate the category if needed
- Create a new category with the same or improved name.
- Move restored sections into that category.
During cleanup, restore only what you need. Leaving unused sections archived keeps documents easier to maintain.
Troubleshooting
I deleted a category but cannot find the sections
- Open Docs Filters and enable Archived sections.
- Confirm you are in the correct document.
- Clear other filters temporarily to ensure nothing is hiding results.
I restored a section - where did it go?
- Restored sections return to the active Docs list.
- If not visible, check whether another filter is applied.
If your team has restricted permissions, your access level may limit what you can view or restore. Contact a Docs administrator if needed.
Related help
If you are managing OIRs or AIRs end-to-end, this guide walks through the full workflow:
How to create, contract, and manage Asset Information Requirements (AIR)
