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

# Data retention

> How long Vook keeps your audio and transcripts, and how to delete them.

You stay in control of your data. Vook keeps the audio and transcripts you
submit through the API until you delete them, so you decide when they go.

## What Vook keeps, and for how long

| Data | How long it is kept |
| - | - |
| Working audio used during processing | Deleted automatically after **1 day**. |
| Your audio and transcripts | Kept until **you delete them**. |
| Chats on a transcription | Kept as long as the transcription. Deleted **with it**. |
| The summary of a transcription | Kept as long as the transcription. Deleted **with it**. |
| Everything in a deleted account | Deleted within **30 days** of the account deletion. |
| Everything in an inactive account | Deleted after **two years** without activity. You receive notices 30 days and 7 days before, followed by a 30-day grace period. |

API transcripts and audio have no automatic expiry. If your own policy calls for
one, delete transcriptions on your schedule with the endpoint below.

## Delete a transcription

`DELETE /api/v1/transcriptions/{id}` deletes a transcription, its audio, and
its [chats](/chat).

```bash theme={null}
curl -X DELETE "https://www.api.vook.ai/api/v1/transcriptions/$ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VOOK_API_KEY"
```

* A successful delete returns `204`. Deleting the same transcription again also
  returns `204`, so a retry is safe.
* If you hold the job id instead, `DELETE /api/v1/transcription-jobs/{id}` does
  the same.
* While the job is still running, the request returns `409` with the code
  `job_not_completed`. Wait for the job to finish, then retry.
* After the delete, reading the transcription, its transcript, its export, or its
  chats returns `404`. The job itself stays readable
  with `GET /api/v1/transcription-jobs/{id}`.

See [Retrieve and export](/retrieve-export#5-delete-a-transcription) for Python
examples.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Retrieve and export" icon="file-lines" href="/retrieve-export">
    List, read, export, and delete your transcriptions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Errors and limits" icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/errors">
    Error codes, retry rules, and submission limits.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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