> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.halosecurity.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.halosecurity.com/docs/platform/settings/advanced-settings.md).

# Advanced Settings

These settings control data retention and archived target management in your account. Advanced settings allow you to customize how long scan data and archived targets are retained, helping you manage storage and maintain relevant historical information.

To modify these settings, navigate to *Settings →* [Advanced Settings](https://app.halosecurity.com/user/settings/advanced/).

### Settings

**Delete Scans After \[X] Days:** Set the number of days after which scan data will be automatically deleted from your account. This setting helps manage storage by removing older scan results that may no longer be relevant for your security monitoring needs.

**Delete Scans After \[X] Scans:** Control the maximum number of scan results retained per target. We'll save scan history per target up to the limit you set here. If you set 100, we'll save your most recent 100 scans of any target. Once this limit is reached, the oldest scans will be automatically deleted as new scans are completed.

**Delete Archived Targets After \[X] Days:** Configure how long archived targets are retained before being permanently deleted. Once a target has been archived for the specified number of days, it will be automatically removed from your account along with all associated historical data.

**Unarchive Targets with DNS:** Enable automatic unarchiving of targets when DNS activity is detected. If we detect DNS records for an archived target, you can set it to be automatically unarchived and returned to active monitoring. This helps ensure that assets that come back online are not missed during your security monitoring.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Deleting scans and targets will affect your historical risk scores. Deleted data cannot be recovered.
{% endhint %}

### Best Practices

* Set retention periods that align with your organization's requirements
* Consider keeping at least 90 days of scan history for trend analysis
* Use archived targets for assets that are temporarily offline but may return
* Enable DNS-based unarchiving for dynamic environments where assets may come and go


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