When a client or group is finished with, you have two options: archive it (recommended) or delete it permanently. This article explains the difference and how each behaves.
Archived is simply the last of the five statuses. To archive, open the status dropdown on the record (in a list, on the detail page header, or on an entity card) and choose Archived, or use Archive in the details card's extra actions menu. Nagaris asks Are you sure you want to archive this item …? — click Archive to confirm. A toast confirms the change (for example Client status changed to Archived).
What archiving does:
The record disappears from the Clients / Client Groups lists by default — those lists filter to Prospect, Onboarding, Active and Lost unless you change the Status filter.
Inside a group, archived clients are hidden from the Clients tab and the entity map until you switch on Show archived clients in the group header. (If the whole group is archived, its clients always show.)
Archived clients and groups can no longer be selected when building proposals/engagements.
Nothing is lost: history, documents, contacts and billing records all remain, and you can reverse it at any time by picking another status from the same dropdown.
Dashboard widgets are driven by status. For example, Overdue Groups on the dashboard lists groups still in Onboarding more than two days after creation — so a stale group stays there until its status changes. If a group appears somewhere it shouldn't, update its status (archive it if it's genuinely inactive) rather than deleting it; the widget updates as soon as the status changes.
Deleting is permanent. From a details card's extra actions menu choose Delete, or select rows in a list and use the bulk Delete button. The confirmation dialog is deliberately blunt: This action cannot be undone. This will permanently delete … and remove all associated data.
If the record is linked to Xero Practice Manager, the dialog includes a Delete in XPM checkbox so you can choose whether to remove it from XPM at the same time. Leave it unticked to delete only in Nagaris.
Deleting a client group from its details card returns you to the Client Groups list once done.
Contacts can also be deleted (individually from their details card, or in bulk) — but if a contact is merely linked to the wrong client, unlink them instead; unlinking never deletes the contact record.
Archive when the relationship has ended but the history matters — which is almost always. Delete only for genuine mistakes such as duplicate imports or test records. Archiving keeps your lists clean without destroying anything, and it's reversible; deleting is not.
An archived client still shows in a group — check whether Show archived clients is switched on in the group header, or whether the group itself is archived (archived groups always show all their clients).
I archived a client but can still see it in the list — your Status filter probably includes Archived; reset the filters or untick that status.
I can't find an old client — add Archived to the Status filter on the Clients page; archived records are hidden, not gone.
