How can I archive a project when I’m done with it?

An archived project is a project that is frozen in time and can’t be changed. All the data is left intact, but you can’t add, edit, or remove anything until you de-archive it.

To archive a project, go to the Dashboard and click on the project you want to archive.

Inside the project, click on the “Project Settings” link in the upper right corner of the screen.

Scroll down to the “Project Status” section, select the “Archived” radio button and click the “Save changes” button.

Archived projects can be viewed from the Dashboard. Just click on the ”Archived projects” link at the bottom of the right sidebar which lists “Your projects.”

What are the benefits to archiving a project?

There are three primary reasons to archive projects when they are completed:

Speed: The fewer active projects you have, the faster and more responsive Basecamp will be. This is especially true on large accounts with more than 75 active projects.

Less clutter: Since archived projects don't take up any space on your dashboard, you'll reduce clutter which makes it easier to focus on active projects.

Potential cost savings: Archived projects don't count against your active project total.

How do I reopen an archived project?

Open the project and click the “Project Settings” link at the top of the screen.

Then change the Project Status from "Archived" to "Active."

Can I give access to an archived project to someone who wasn't originally involved in the project? Is there a way to add a person to a batch of archived projects?

In order to allow someone to see an archived project, you need to open that project and add that person as a user. You can do this by clicking the "People & Permissions" tab.

Archived projects can't be edited or changed. Therefore, it's not possible to add users to archived projects in a batch operation.

You can add a person to a batch of active projects though. You can do this by clicking the "People & Permissions" tab. Then click the "Edit" link next to the person you want to add. In the right sidebar, check off all the projects you want the person added to.

How do I delete a project?

Note: Deleting a project immediately and permanently deletes everything associated with this project. There is no undo so make sure you’re absolutely sure you want to delete this project.

If you still want to delete the project, go to the Dashboard and click on the project you want to delete.

Then click the “Settings” link in the upper right corner.

Click the “Delete this project” link in the right sidebar.

Do files in archived projects count toward my account's file storage limits? Is there a way to delete all archived projects at once?

Yes, all files in all projects count toward your file storage limit, including archived projects. We don't offer mass deleting of files at this time, so files need to be deleted individually.

How do I rename a project?

To change the name of a project, go to the project and click the “Project Settings” link in the upper right corner.

You can rename the project under the header that says, “Project name.”

How can I change the company a project is listed under?

Projects in Basecamp are attached to a primary company. These projects are listed under the primary company's name on the Dashboard and in the project switcher.

To change the primary company, you first need to make sure there are multiple companies on the project. If not, you need to add another company to the project before you can make it the primary company. For details on how to add a company, read this FAQ: How do I add a person or company to a project?

If there are two or more companies on the project, you can change the primary company by clicking the “Settings” link in the upper right corner.

Then find the area with the title “Select the primary company for this project.” Select the company you want.

Here’s how project listings work by default: If the project only has one company (your company), then it’s listed under your company name.

If the project has two companies (yours and one other), then it’s listed under the other company’s name.

If a project has more than two companies, it’s listed under the primary company’s name (which you can set on the Settings screen inside the project).

How do I add a person from a different company to a project?

To add a person to a project you first need to add their company. Go into the project and click the “People & Permissions” tab.

Then click the “Change project permissions” link...

... and select the company you want to add.

Next, you’ll be able to add people from that company to the project. Just check the box next to a person and choose the level of permission you’d like them to have. You can add as many people from a company as you like.

Can I create sub-projects in Basecamp (i.e. a project within another project)?

At this time, it’s not possible to create sub-projects in Basecamp. But there’s a friendly workaround that will allow this functionality: Create a new company and make it the “primary company” for the various projects you’d like to group together. Here’s how this works:

1. Go to your People tab and click the link to add a new company.

2. Instead of adding a company name, make the company name your “area” or category. For instance, you can create a company called “Finance” or “Legal”.

3. Don’t add any users to this company.

4. Now, go to a project that falls under the category “Legal”. Click the “People & Permissions” tab, and click the link to add the “Legal” company you just created to the project.

5. Click the “Change project permissions” link at the top of the screen.

6. Then click the “Add a company to the project” link at the top of the screen.

7. Then choose the company you just created and add it to the project.

8. Now you’ll want to make this company the primary company for this project. To do this, click the “Project Settings” link in the upper right of the screen.

9. Go to the section that says, “Select the primary company for this project” and choose the company you just created.

10. When you do this, you’ll see the projects listed in your sidebar like this:

This method lets you group your projects under an umbrella label and access them easily in one location.

Some related Basecamp Help links...
“Primary Company”: How can I change the company a project is listed under?
How do I delete a company?