[BUG] Cowork Projects: No delete option — archive is a black hole with no recovery

[johnramzgh]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

In Claude Cowork (Windows desktop app), there is no way to delete a project. The only option available in the three-dot menu is Archive. However, once a project is archived:

• It disappears completely from the UI
• There is no archived projects tab or section to find it
• There is no way to unarchive or delete it afterward

Archive is effectively a black hole — once you use it, the project is gone with zero management options.

What Should Happen?

• A Delete option should be available directly in the three-dot menu alongside Archive
• OR archived projects should be accessible in a dedicated section where they can be permanently deleted

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1- Create a project in Cowork (Windows)
2- Click the three-dot menu on the project
3- Note that Delete is not an option — only Archive
4- Click Archive

The project vanishes from the UI with no way to retrieve, unarchive, or permanently delete it

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Version 1.14271.0 (c8f4d8)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] I archived my Claude Cowork chats and they are nowhere to be found. #22931
2. Session archive is one-way: no unarchive tool and no Archived view in desktop #67835

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[johnramzgh]

Hi, I'd like to contest the duplicate classification — this issue is distinct from both #67835 and #22931 in meaningful ways:

vs. #67835 (unarchive sessions / MCP gap):

• Session archive is one-way: no unarchive tool and no Archived view in desktop #67835 is about sessions/chats losing their unarchive path via MCP and the sidebar. My report is about projects — a completely different entity in Cowork.
• Session archive is one-way: no unarchive tool and no Archived view in desktop #67835 is on macOS. This issue is on Windows, where the UI and menu options may differ.
• Session archive is one-way: no unarchive tool and no Archived view in desktop #67835 assumes archive/unarchive symmetry is the core fix needed. My issue raises a separate problem: there is no Delete option at all for projects. Even if unarchive were added, the missing Delete action would remain unaddressed.

vs. #22931 (archived chats not visible):

• [BUG] I archived my Claude Cowork chats and they are nowhere to be found. #22931 is also about chats, not projects.
• [BUG] I archived my Claude Cowork chats and they are nowhere to be found. #22931 is on macOS with Claude Code v2.1.30. This is on Windows with v1.14271.0.
• The root ask in [BUG] I archived my Claude Cowork chats and they are nowhere to be found. #22931 is visibility of archived chats. My issue additionally highlights that Archive is the only destructive action available for projects — there is no Delete alternative — making the lack of recovery even more critical.

Summary of what makes this unique:

1. Scope is projects, not sessions or chats.
2. Platform is Windows.
3. The core gap is the absence of a Delete option for projects — Archive should not be the only irreversible action available.
4. Once a project is archived, there is no recovery path of any kind in the Windows UI.

I'd appreciate keeping this open so the project-level delete/archive management on Windows gets tracked separately. Happy to provide additional info or a screen recording if helpful.

[ferikee]

Experiencing the same bug on claude.ai Android mobile app (not Cowork/Desktop) with Projects.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open claude.ai app on Android
2. Go to Projects
3. Long-press or tap ⋯ on any project → Archive
4. Project disappears from active list
5. Go to Archived view → shows "No archived projects"
6. No way to unarchive or access the project

Additional context:

• Free plan user (5 project limit)
• Tested twice with two different projects, same result both times
• Screenshots attached

This effectively makes archive a permanent delete on mobile. Lost a project with important conversation history this way.

[github-actions]

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.