# Deleting Your WingTask Data

**URL:** <https://community.wingtask.com/t/deleting-your-wingtask-data/48>\
**Category:** Documentation\
**Created:** [September 7, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://community.wingtask.com/t/deleting-your-wingtask-data/48 "2026-09-07T20:12:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![timcase](https://community.wingtask.com/user_avatar/community.wingtask.com/timcase/32/15_2.png) [@timcase](https://community.wingtask.com/u/timcase)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://community.wingtask.com/t/deleting-your-wingtask-data/48/1 "2026-09-07T20:12:22Z")

</div>

# 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

1. In WingTask, go to **Settings**.
2. Select **Delete my data**.
3. Read the summary of what will happen.
4. Confirm by typing your email address, then select **Delete my  
data**.
5. 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.

```bash
# 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](https://community.wingtask.com/t/fixing-a-410-gone-sync-error/46).  
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.

* * *

## Related Topics

- [Fixing a 410 Gone Sync Error](https://community.wingtask.com/t/fixing-a-410-gone-sync-error/46)
- [Rotating Your Sync Credentials](https://community.wingtask.com/t/rotating-your-sync-credentials/47)
- [Connecting WingTask Sync Server to Local Taskwarrior CLI](https://community.wingtask.com/t/connecting-wingtask-sync-server-to-local-taskwarrior-cli/19)
- [How Undo and Sync Work Together](https://community.wingtask.com/t/how-undo-and-sync-work-together/28)