Auto-delete is the difference between a scheduling tool that treats privacy as a checklist item and one that treats it as an operating principle. This guide covers how to configure auto-delete, the trade-offs by retention window, and how to meet GDPR's data-minimization principle without breaking billing workflows.
What auto-delete covers (and what it doesn't)
Auto-delete in scheduling tools typically covers: booking records (name, email, form fields), meeting history, and related metadata. It does not cover: your calendar events (those live in Google Calendar), your billing records (those live in Stripe/PayPal), or server logs (those are kept for security-response purposes, usually 30-90 days separately).
Choosing the retention window
30 days covers most active-scheduling needs. 60 days handles month-end billing workflows. 90 days supports quarterly reporting. Anything longer requires documented business justification under GDPR.
Cal Clear auto-delete setup
In your Cal Clear dashboard, open Settings → Privacy & Retention. Pick a retention window (30/60/90 days). From that moment on, every booking older than the window is automatically deleted. Existing older bookings are purged in the next deletion cycle (nightly).
What if I need a specific older booking?
Auto-delete is permanent. Before enabling it, export any bookings you want to keep for operational reasons. Most users find they don't need anything past 60 days.
This is part of our privacy-first scheduling pillar guide — 18 articles covering every privacy angle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does auto-delete remove events from my Google Calendar?
No. Auto-delete only removes booking metadata from Cal Clear. Your Google Calendar events remain untouched.
Can I disable auto-delete later?
Yes. You can toggle auto-delete off or change the retention window at any time. Data already deleted cannot be recovered.
Try privacy-first scheduling, free
Cal Clear runs zero trackers on booking pages and auto-deletes booking data on your schedule. Start at calclear.app.