Deleting Your WingTask Data

timcase · September 7, 2026, 8:12pm

Delete My Data

Overview

Delete my data erases WingTask’s copy of your tasks and your sync
history, then starts you over with an empty task list.

Your account is not affected. Your login, password, and settings stay
exactly as they were. Only your task data and its sync history are
removed.

There is no recovery. Once the deletion runs, the old data is gone.

Every device that syncs with the Taskwarrior CLI needs its local task
database rebuilt afterward. That is real work on each device, so it is
worth understanding what is involved before you start.

When to Use It

You are coming back after a long break. If you stopped using
WingTask or Taskwarrior for a while, you may prefer a clean start over
reconciling a large backlog of stale history. Delete my data clears
everything so you can rebuild from a single known-good export.

You want a deliberate reset. Sometimes the simplest fix is to wipe
the slate and rebuild from one device’s task export. Delete my data
gives you that reset.

Sync has become tangled across devices. If your devices disagree
about your task history and rotating your sync credentials or the 410
fix has not helped, a full reset is often simpler than chasing the
mismatch.

When not to use it

It does not delete your account. That is a separate action,
Delete my data and account.
It is not routine maintenance. Use it when you have a reason to, not
on a schedule.

What It Does

After you confirm:

WingTask’s task database for your account is deleted.
Your sync records are removed from the sync server.
A fresh empty database is created the next time you add a task or
sync from Taskwarrior.
Your user account, login, and password are unchanged.

The deletion is permanent. There is no recovery.

What Happens to Your Devices

A device that syncs with the Taskwarrior CLI still points at the sync
history you just deleted. Its next task sync fails with a 410 Gone
error until its local task database is rebuilt.

WingTask emails you the rebuild steps after the deletion runs. The same
steps appear on the confirmation page.

Before You Delete

Decide which device has the best copy of your tasks. One device
becomes the source of truth. You rebuild it first, and every other
device takes its tasks from the server afterward. Choose the device
with the most complete and correct set of tasks.

Sync that device first if it has unsynced changes you want to
keep. Run task sync on it before you delete. Anything still sitting
unsynced is captured by the export in step 1 of the rebuild.

If you only want a clean slate, you can skip the export. If you do
not care about your existing tasks, there is nothing to preserve and
you can leave out step 1.

How to Delete Your Data

In WingTask, go to Settings.
Select Delete my data.
Read the summary of what will happen.
Confirm by typing your email address, then select Delete my
data.
The confirmation page shows the rebuild steps below. They are also
emailed to you.

Updating Your Devices

Each device is still holding its place in the sync history you just
deleted. task sync will fail, usually with a 410 Gone error, until
the local task database is rebuilt.

Run these commands on each device, in order. Start with the device that
has the most complete set of tasks.

# 1 — Export your tasks. This is what step 8 puts back.
task export > ~/tasks_backup.json

# 2 — Check the backup BEFORE deleting anything.
grep -c '"uuid"' ~/tasks_backup.json   # tasks in the backup file
task count                             # what Taskwarrior has now

# 3 — Find your task database; its location varies by install.
DATA=$(task _get rc.data.location); echo "$DATA"

# 4 — Save a copy of the database before deleting it, including its
#     -wal/-shm files if they exist.
cp "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3" "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3.bak"
# if exists
cp "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-wal" "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-wal.bak"
# if exists
cp "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-shm" "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-shm.bak"

# 5 — Delete the database, including its -wal/-shm files if they
#     exist.
rm -f "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3"
# if exists
rm -f "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-wal"
# if exists
rm -f "$DATA/taskchampion.sqlite3-shm"

# 6 — Confirm your CURRENT WingTask credentials are in place
#     (Settings > Taskwarrior Sync).
task show sync

# 7 — Sync now, before re-importing. This re-establishes sync
#     with your current credentials.
task sync

# 8 — Bring your tasks back.
task import ~/tasks_backup.json

# 9 — Push them up.
task sync

At step 6, the Sync URL, Client ID, and Encryption Secret
must match what WingTask shows at Settings > Taskwarrior Sync. Your
credentials have not changed, but confirm they are still in place
before continuing.

Once the first device is working, each remaining device needs only
steps 3 through 7. There is no need to export or import, because the
tasks come down from the server.

Why the Order Matters

Step 7 looks unnecessary. You have just deleted the database, so
syncing an empty one seems pointless. It is the step that does the
work.

Taskwarrior only downloads a fresh copy of your task history from the
server when the local database is completely empty. If you import your
tasks before that first sync, the database is no longer empty, the
download never happens, and sync keeps failing.

The order is: delete, sync, then import.

If a Device Still Will Not Sync

See Fixing a 410 Gone Sync Error.
It covers how to undo a rebuild that went wrong, how to confirm your
tasks actually reached the server, and what to do when more than one
device is affected.

If the deletion itself does not finish, WingTask shows a message saying
it could not complete. Nothing is changed in that case, an error report
is sent automatically, and you can get in touch to have it sorted out.

Notes

Deleting your data is permanent. There is no recovery.
Your account is separate. Deleting your data does not touch your
login, password, or settings.
Every device must use the same Client ID and Encryption
Secret. Copy them from Settings > Taskwarrior Sync.
Rebuilding keeps all of the tasks on a device. It discards that
device’s task undo history and the record of recent local changes.
The Sync URL does not change, so you do not need to update it.