📅 First, understand how session deletion works
PatientNotes has two ways a session can be deleted — it's important to understand both before using the manual delete option.
⏱ Automatic deletion — happens at 30 days
All session recordings, audio, and transcripts are automatically and permanently deleted 30 days after the session was created. This happens in the background without any action from you. Your generated clinical note text remains visible after 30 days, but the underlying recording and transcript are gone.
This is the normal, expected lifecycle of every session in PatientNotes.
🗑 Manual deletion — happens immediately
Using the Delete Session toggle removes the session right now — not at 30 days. The recording, transcript, clinical note, and any linked letters or summaries are permanently deleted the moment you confirm. This cannot be undone.
In most cases you won't need to manually delete sessions at all — the 30-day auto-delete handles cleanup automatically. Manual deletion is for situations where you need a session gone immediately (see "When would I delete a session?" below).
Before You Manually Delete — Copy Your Notes First
Your clinical notes should live in your practice management system (PMS), not exclusively inside PatientNotes. Before manually deleting a session, make sure you have:
Copied the clinical note — open the session, select all the note text, and paste it into your PMS (Cliniko, Nookal, Halaxy, etc.)
Downloaded any letters or reports — use More (…) → Download PDF from any letter or report linked to this session
Saved the patient summary if you've generated one and want to keep it
How to Manually Delete a Session
1. Open your Sessions list
Navigate to the Sessions page in your PatientNotes dashboard.
2. Find the session you want to delete
Locate the session in your list. Sessions are ordered by date — use the search bar or scroll to find the correct one.
3. Open the session and scroll to the toggle
Open the session and scroll to the bottom of the session page to find the Delete Session toggle.
4. Toggle to initiate deletion
Click the Delete Session toggle. By default, a two-step confirmation prompt will appear before anything is deleted — this is a safeguard to prevent accidental deletion.
5. Confirm deletion
Read the confirmation carefully, then confirm. The session and all associated data are permanently and immediately removed.
⚠️ The Two-Step Confirmation Warning — and How to Disable It
By default, PatientNotes shows a two-step confirmation when you toggle session deletion. This extra step is intentional — it's there to stop accidental deletions, since deleted sessions cannot be recovered.
If you regularly delete sessions and find the two-step confirmation unnecessary for your workflow, you can turn it off in your profile settings:
Find the Session Deletion Warning setting
Toggle it off to disable the two-step confirmation
Click Save
⚠️ Important: If you disable this warning, sessions will be deleted immediately as soon as you toggle the delete switch — with no second prompt to catch mistakes. There is no undo. We strongly recommend keeping the two-step confirmation on unless you have a specific reason to disable it.
When Would I Manually Delete a Session?
Remember — sessions auto-delete at 30 days anyway, so manual deletion is only needed when you want a session gone right now. Common reasons include:
Duplicate or blank sessions — accidentally created twice, or recorded with no usable audio
Test sessions — created while trialling PatientNotes, not related to a real patient
Incorrect patient — session was created under the wrong patient name
Immediate privacy request — a patient requests their session data be removed before the 30-day auto-delete kicks in
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to manually delete sessions to keep things tidy?
No — PatientNotes automatically deletes recordings and transcripts after 30 days. You don't need to manually delete sessions as part of your regular workflow.
Can I recover a manually deleted session?
No — manual deletion is immediate and permanent. There is no recycle bin or recovery option. Always copy your notes to your PMS before deleting.
What's still visible after the 30-day auto-delete?
After 30 days, the recording and transcript are automatically deleted, but your generated clinical note text remains visible in PatientNotes until you manually delete the session.
Does deleting one session affect other sessions for the same patient?
No — deleting one session only removes that session. All other sessions for that patient are unaffected.
I deleted the wrong session — what can I do?
Unfortunately there is no way to recover a manually deleted session. Contact [email protected] immediately — while we cannot restore deleted sessions, our team can advise on next steps.
Where is the Delete Session toggle?
Scroll to the bottom of any individual session page — open the session from your Sessions list and scroll down to find it.
Need Help?
Chat with us via the help widget inside PatientNotes, or email [email protected].