Soft Deletes in Laravel: Restore, Force Delete, and Prune Data
Soft deletes let you “delete” rows without losing them immediately. Instead of removing data, Eloquent sets a deleted_at timestamp and excludes those rows from normal queries. You can later restore or permanently remove them, and even prune old soft-deleted data on a schedule. In this guide, you’ll enable soft deletes, build a Recycle Bin UI, and automate cleanup safely.
1 – Add deleted_at to Your Table
Add a soft delete column using the schema builder. Use softDeletes() (or softDeletesTz() if you prefer timezone-aware timestamps).
// database/migrations/2025_08_27_000000_add_soft_deletes_to_posts_table.php
use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
return new class extends Migration {
public function up(): void
{
Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->softDeletes(); // adds nullable deleted_at TIMESTAMP
});
}
public function down(): void
{
Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->dropSoftDeletes(); // drops deleted_at
});
}
};Code language: PHP (php)This migration adds a deleted_at column that Eloquent uses to hide “trashed” rows. The down() method makes the change reversible.
Run the migration:
php artisan migrateCode language: Bash (bash)After running, the table is ready to support soft deletes without breaking existing queries.
2 – Enable Soft Deletes on the Model
Add the SoftDeletes trait to your Eloquent model. This automatically excludes trashed rows from default queries such as Model::all().
// app/Models/Post.php
namespace App\Models;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
class Post extends Model
{
use SoftDeletes;
protected $fillable = ['user_id','title','body','status'];
}Code language: PHP (php)With the trait, calling Post::query() ignores rows where deleted_at is not null. You’ll use special helpers to include or filter trashed rows when needed.
3 – Soft Delete, Restore, and Force Delete
Soft delete marks the row; restore brings it back; force delete removes it permanently from the database.
// Soft delete a post
$post = Post::findOrFail($id);
$post->delete(); // sets deleted_at
// Restore a soft-deleted post
$post = Post::withTrashed()->findOrFail($id);
$post->restore(); // clears deleted_at
// Permanently delete
$post = Post::withTrashed()->findOrFail($id);
$post->forceDelete(); // removes row from DBCode language: PHP (php)Use withTrashed() to access items regardless of deletion state, then call restore() or forceDelete() as appropriate.
4 – Query Helpers for Trashed Rows
These helpers give you fine control over which rows are returned in queries.
// Include trashed + non-trashed
$all = Post::withTrashed()->latest()->paginate(10);
// Only trashed
$trashed = Post::onlyTrashed()->orderBy('deleted_at','desc')->get();
// Explicitly exclude trashed (same as default)
$active = Post::withoutTrashed()->get();Code language: PHP (php)withTrashed() is useful for admin reports; onlyTrashed() powers a Recycle Bin; withoutTrashed() matches the default behavior when the trait is enabled.
5 – Routes & Controller for a Recycle Bin UI
Expose routes to view trashed items, restore them, or permanently delete them. Authorize these actions to admin roles only.
// routes/web.php (snippet)
use App\Http\Controllers\PostTrashController;
Route::middleware(['auth'])->group(function () {
Route::get('/posts/trash', [PostTrashController::class, 'index'])->name('posts.trash.index');
Route::patch('/posts/{id}/restore', [PostTrashController::class, 'restore'])->name('posts.trash.restore');
Route::delete('/posts/{id}/force', [PostTrashController::class, 'force'])->name('posts.trash.force');
});Code language: PHP (php)These routes provide a list view plus endpoints to restore or force delete a specific post. Use policies/middleware to ensure only privileged users can perform destructive actions.
// app/Http/Controllers/PostTrashController.php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use App\Models\Post;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
class PostTrashController extends Controller
{
public function index()
{
$posts = Post::onlyTrashed()
->orderBy('deleted_at','desc')
->paginate(10);
return view('posts.trash', compact('posts'));
}
public function restore($id)
{
$post = Post::withTrashed()->findOrFail($id);
// $this->authorize('restore', $post); // optional policy
$post->restore();
return back()->with('status','Post restored.');
}
public function force($id)
{
$post = Post::withTrashed()->findOrFail($id);
// $this->authorize('forceDelete', $post); // optional policy
$post->forceDelete();
return back()->with('status','Post permanently deleted.');
}
}Code language: PHP (php)The controller paginates trashed posts and provides RESTful handlers to restore or permanently delete items. Optionally enforce policies for extra safety.
6 – UI: Recycle Bin Blade View
Here’s a simple Recycle Bin with Restore and Delete buttons. Use CSRF and method spoofing to protect the actions.
<!-- resources/views/posts/trash.blade.php -->
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<div class="container">
<h1 class="mb-4">Recycle Bin</h1>
@if(session('status'))
<div class="alert alert-success">{{ session('status') }}</div>
@endif
@forelse($posts as $post)
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="card-body d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
<div>
<h5 class="card-title mb-1">{{ $post->title }}</h5>
<small class="text-muted">Deleted at: {{ $post->deleted_at }}</small>
</div>
<div class="d-flex gap-2">
<form method="POST" action="{{ route('posts.trash.restore', $post->id) }}">
@csrf @method('PATCH')
<button class="btn btn-outline-secondary">Restore</button>
</form>
<form method="POST" action="{{ route('posts.trash.force', $post->id) }}"
onsubmit="return confirm('Permanently delete this post?');">
@csrf @method('DELETE')
<button class="btn btn-danger">Delete Forever</button>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>
@empty
<p class="text-muted">No trashed posts.</p>
@endforelse
{{ $posts->links() }}
</div>
@endsectionCode language: PHP (php)This UI lists trashed posts with the deletion timestamp and action buttons. Restore unsets deleted_at, while “Delete Forever” removes the row from the database.
7 – Scheduled Pruning of Old Soft-Deleted Rows
Use model pruning to automatically purge items that have been soft-deleted for a while (e.g., 30 days).
// app/Models/Post.php (add trait & prunable() if you like)
namespace App\Models;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Prunable;
class Post extends Model
{
use SoftDeletes, Prunable;
public function prunable()
{
// prune items soft-deleted more than 30 days ago
return static::onlyTrashed()
->where('deleted_at', '<', now()->subDays(30));
}
}Code language: PHP (php)The Prunable trait defines a query selecting candidates for permanent removal. Here we keep trashed posts for 30 days before pruning them.
// app/Console/Kernel.php (schedule pruning)
protected function schedule(\Illuminate\Console\Scheduling\Schedule $schedule): void
{
// Run daily at 02:00; add --pretend in staging to preview deletions
$schedule->command('model:prune', [
'--model' => [\App\Models\Post::class],
])->dailyAt('02:00');
}Code language: PHP (php)This schedules the built-in model:prune command to run daily. In non-production environments, consider --pretend to preview what would be deleted.
Remember to set up your cron to run the Laravel scheduler: * * * * * php /path/to/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1.
Wrapping Up
Soft deletes provide a safe middle ground between “active” and “gone.” You added a deleted_at column, enabled the SoftDeletes trait, implemented restore and force delete flows, built a Recycle Bin UI, and configured pruning to keep the database lean. This pattern reduces accidental loss and gives you clean, auditable lifecycle management for records.
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