Sync with a time delayed delete

Help and Support
1

What is the problem you are having with rclone?

I couldn't find this in the docs and I suspect it isn't possible so I thought I would see if anyone knows a workaround.
I realise when using sync if file no longer exists on the source, it is deleted from the destination. Is there a way to do this but only if the file on the source has been missing for a period of time.
I could use this when I want to have the remote copy as a backup but if I inadvertantly delete a file on my pc It would still remain in the remote for say 1 month before it gets deleted. Giving me a chance to realise the mistake and restore it from the remote.

What is your rclone version (output from rclone version)


####  Which cloud storage system are you using? (eg Google Drive)
```Google Drive

#### The command you were trying to run (eg `rclone copy /tmp remote:tmp`)  
```rclone --bwlimit "5M:512k" --exclude "Backups.log" --stats=0 --log-file "C:\Data\Backups.log" --log-level INFO clone C:\Data Work:/

#### The rclone config contents with secrets removed.  
```[Work]
```type = drive
```client_id = 
```client_secret = 
```scope = drive
```root_folder_id = 
```token = {"access_token":"","expiry":""}
2

You can use:

https://rclone.org/docs/#backup-dir-dir

To keep deleted files for a period of time and then remove the backup dir.

3

Thanks for your help @Animosity022 that looks like it will work nicely. I read the docs but misssed this. There are so many features. It's hard to absorb it all when your starting out with this program. Bt what a great program it is.

4

hi,

if you want forever forward incremental backups, you can run a command such as
rclone sync C:\Data Work:current --backup-dir=Work:archive/20211111.203743

to delete files older than 30 days, try
rclone delete Work: --min-age=31d --dry-run -v

5

Thanks @asdffdsa. Rather than an incremental backups I have all the deleted files going into the same directory. (If I change the file more than once in the period it will only retain the last one)
When I run the command "rclone delete Work:/TestToDelete --min-age=14d"

it seems to delete the files that were modified more than 14 days ago rather than 14 days after being moved to the TestToDelete folder. From what I understand the --min-age flag works on the modified date. Is there a way for this command to work on the created date of the file which seems to be the date it was moved into the /TestToDelete folder?
If not is there another way?
Perhaps that is why you suggested using a sub directory.

6

try https://rclone.org/drive/#drive-use-created-date

rclone lsl gdrive:test 
        0 2000-11-15 15:27:54.706000000 file.txt

rclone lsl gdrive:test --drive-use-created-date --min-age=5m 
        0 2021-11-15 15:28:33.865000000 file.txt
7

Thanks again @asdffdsa, now that you point that out I did see that in the manual but for some unkown reason I didn't try it. Probably busy trying a few other things amongst being distracted and forgot it. Its working nicely, thanks
Cheers