💡 Still using the classic Drata experience? Refer to Archiving Policies or Restore an archived or replaced policy for the original UI.
Archiving and restoring policies allows you to manage policy lifecycle changes without losing audit history. Drata preserves evidence, mappings, and version history so you can adapt policies while maintaining compliance continuity.
Use archiving to retire policies you no longer need while preserving audit history. You can restore archived or replaced policies at any time if requirements change.
Prerequisites
Some policies can’t be archived if they are required for active compliance workflows or Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Policies that can’t be archived
Some Drata-provided policies don’t show an Archive option. This is expected.
Policies may be non-archivable when they:
Are tied to active SLAs
Are required for automated compliance tracking
Serve as baseline templates for acknowledgments, onboarding, or monitoring
Common examples include foundational policies such as:
Information Security Policy
System Access Control Policy
Vulnerability Management Policy
What happens when you archive a policy
When you archive a policy:
The policy is removed from active use
The policy no longer serves as evidence for mapped controls
Any mapped monitoring tests are disabled
The policy remains available in archived records for audit history
Archiving does not delete the policy.
Archive a policy
Open Governance → Policies.
Make sure you are on the Active tab.
Select the ellipsis (⋯) next to the policy and choose Archive.
Review the confirmation modal.
Select Archive to confirm.
If you can’t archive a policy, it’s likely because the policy is required for active compliance or tied to an SLA.
Restore an archived or replaced policy
You can restore policies that were previously archived or replaced. When you restore a policy:
The policy becomes active again
Previously mapped tests are re-enabled
The policy can be used again for acknowledgments and compliance evidence
Restore a policy
Open Governance → Policies.
Open the Archived or replaced tab.
Locate the policy you want to restore.
Select the ellipsis (⋯) and choose Restore.
Review the restore confirmation modal. The modal lists tests that will be re-enabled.
Select Restore to confirm.