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Archiving an Ad Slot

Archiving is one-way

The row actions on Inventory → Ad Slots are Copy · Edit · Archive — there's no permanent delete, and no un-archive. Archiving hides the slot from the active list and preserves its historical data, but the confirm dialog says "This action cannot be undone" for a reason: archived slots can't be edited or reactivated from the portal. Treat it as terminal in self-service.

Earlier versions of these docs described a Delete action, and an Unarchive/Restore flow. Neither exists.

What archiving does​

Archiving removes a slot from active use without destroying it:

EffectWhat it means
Slot hidden from default listFilter to Archived (or All) to see it again
Removed from active layoutsLayouts that reference the slot stop loading it
Ads stop serving in that placementOnce a release that reflects the archive is deployed
Historical data preservedReporting for past impressions is unchanged
Not reversibleArchived slots can't be edited or reactivated — to bring a placement back, re-create the slot

How to archive a slot​

  1. In Ad Manager (main) mode, go to Inventory → Ad Slots.
  2. Find the slot (use the filter input to narrow by name).
  3. In the row's actions column, click the Archive button (box icon).
  4. Confirm the prompt.
  5. Ship a release from Wrapper → Releases — the archive doesn't affect live traffic until the next release is deployed.

Alternatives to archiving​

Depending on why you want the slot out of the way, one of these may be a better fit:

Remove from specific layouts, keep the slot​

If the slot should still exist but shouldn't load on a specific page type, open the layout (Inventory → Layouts) and remove the slot from its Ad Slots tab. The slot remains available for other layouts.

Replace via experiment​

If you're unsure whether to retire a slot, run an A/B test — variation without the slot, control with — and measure the revenue impact before committing. See Creating an A/B test.

Rename and repurpose​

If the slot is the right placement but the wrong configuration, edit it rather than archiving and re-creating. The History tab keeps a record of the previous configuration.

If you archived a slot by mistake​

There's no un-archive in the portal, so recovery means re-creating the placement:

  1. Inventory → Ad Slots → change the state filter to Archived (or All) and open the archived slot to read off its configuration (div ID, sizes, bidders, targeting). Archived slots are read-only, so you're copying the settings, not editing them.
  2. Create a new ad slot with the same configuration (Creating an ad slot →).
  3. Re-add it to the layouts that should load it.
  4. Ship a release.

The archived slot keeps its historical reporting, but it stays archived — the new slot carries forward from here. If you have a genuine data-retention or compliance need around the original, contact your onboarding specialist.

Pre-archive checklist​

Before archiving, worth a quick check:

  • Revenue impact — how much does this slot earn today? (Dashboard → Monetization, break down by slot)
  • Layouts affected — open each layout that includes the slot; confirm you're OK losing this placement there
  • Experiments — is this slot the subject of, or referenced by, an active experiment?
  • Dependencies — does a targeting rule or custom code specifically reference the slot by divId?

After archiving — verification​

  1. Ship a release from Wrapper → Releases
  2. Load a page that used to serve this slot with ?pbjs_debug=true
  3. Confirm AAM Processing <N> ad slots on page reflects the reduced slot count for the matched layout
  4. Watch Dashboard → Monetization for the next day to confirm nothing unexpected shifted

See Wrapper Debugging for more browser-side signals.

Common questions​

Can I undo an archive?

No. There's no un-archive in the portal, and archived slots can't be edited — the confirm dialog warns "This action cannot be undone." To bring a placement back, re-create the slot from the archived one's settings (see above).

What happens to the slot's data?

Historical impressions, revenue, and CPM remain in Dashboard → Monetization. You can still query past performance. No new data accrues once the archive is deployed.

Is there a way to permanently delete a slot?

Not through the portal UI. Archiving is the terminal state. If you have a compliance or data-retention need for hard deletion, contact your onboarding specialist.

Should I archive unused slots?

Yes — it keeps the inventory list navigable. Just confirm the slot is truly retired first: archiving is one-way, so if you're unsure, remove it from its layouts instead (that's reversible) and archive only once you're certain.