> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.screenpipe.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plan Screenpipe storage and retention

> Storage use depends on what you capture and retain.

Storage use depends on what you capture and retain. Measure your own representative workdays before choosing a retention window. Local recordings, cloud copies, generated reports, and AI usage are separate things to manage.

## Start here

Record your data directory size and free disk space before and after a normal day. Note recording hours, enabled inputs, and any retention or archive settings. Use the installed app’s storage controls rather than manually deleting database files.

## Copy this prompt

Use this in Screenpipe chat or an assistant with the required connections. Replace the brackets with your details. If the assistant lacks access, provide a reviewed excerpt; a prompt alone does not connect it to your history.

```text theme={null}
Create a storage planning worksheet from these measurements:
[date, recording hours, starting bytes, ending bytes, free bytes].
Calculate observed net growth per day and a clearly labeled projection for
[retention window]. Flag days affected by deletion, uploads, or unusual work.
List local history, archived copies, exported reports, and backups separately.
Do not delete anything or present the estimate as a guaranteed requirement.
```

## Check the result

Check whether older text, screenshots, and audio are still available after your chosen policy takes effect. Confirm that a retained report does not point to evidence you have already removed.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="See a worked example" id="worked-example">
    For a fictional measured net increase of 2 GB per day, 14 days projects to 28 GB before extra headroom. This is arithmetic for planning, not a Screenpipe benchmark. Compression, audio, displays, cleanup, and workload can change the result.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Go deeper: setup choices and edge cases" id="details">
    A retention window answers how long to keep data; an archive setting answers where another copy may live. Neither implies that an exported CSV, an agent memory file, or a backup is removed too.

    Before moving or backing up the local database, fully quit Screenpipe and use the [storage guidance](/privacy-data-flow). Keep the copy protected and verify a restore before relying on it. A successful copy operation alone is not a restore test. Avoid opening a live database on an unreliable network drive.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Continue

[Privacy data flow](/privacy-data-flow) · [AI usage and controls](/ai-usage-and-controls) · [reliable reports](/reliable-reports)