> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cancel or delete a scheduled event > Safely cancel an appointment, keep a history record, or remove an event that was added by mistake. ## What you will accomplish You will safely cancel a real appointment while keeping history, or delete a mistaken test event, and know which option to choose when a customer calls. There are two different actions: * **Cancel Event (Keep in History)** keeps a record that the appointment existed and was cancelled. Your team can still see it happened. * **Delete Permanently** removes the event from the schedule completely. It will be gone. For most customer appointments, canceling is safer than deleting because it keeps a clear history for your team. If a customer asks "What happened to my appointment?", you will have the answer. ## When to use this guide * A customer cancelled by phone or email and the visit should not happen. * Weather or staffing forced you to stop a visit—but you want a record that it was planned. * Someone created a test or duplicate event that should never have existed. * You rescheduled by creating a new appointment and need to cancel the old time. Event detail panel on Schedule showing a scheduled appointment with vehicle, customer, date, time, status, and Edit Event button *Start by clicking on the event you want to cancel or delete. Review the customer, vehicle, and time to make sure you have the right one.* ## Before you start * Open [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule). * Find the event you want to cancel or delete. If you are unsure how to find it, see [Find and filter scheduled work](/docs/schedule/find-and-filter-scheduled-work). * Confirm the customer, vehicle, date, and time so you do not change the wrong event. * Know why the event is being cancelled or deleted — you may want to add a reason. * If the customer expects an update, confirm your team's notification process before proceeding. ## Decide whether to cancel or delete Choose **Cancel Event (Keep in History)** when the event was real, but it is no longer happening. Examples: * Customer cancelled by phone or email. * Weather delay forced a reschedule. * Staff member became unavailable. * Duplicate appointment — a new one was already created at a better time. Choose **Delete Permanently** only when the event should not remain in your records at all. Examples: * Test event created by mistake. * Wrong customer was selected. * Accidental duplicate that was never confirmed. * Data-entry error. ## Cancel an event and keep history From [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule), click the event (or open **Details** from the table view). The event detail panel opens on the right, showing the customer, vehicle, time, and notes. **Expected result:** You can read the event title, date, and customer or vehicle before making any changes. Click **Edit Event** in the event details panel. The form fields become editable so you can review or adjust details before cancelling. **Expected result:** The panel switches to edit mode with save controls at the top. Scroll to the bottom of the edit form. Click the red **Cancel or Delete Event** bar to expand that section. This section stays collapsed until you open it, which helps prevent accidental cancellations. **Expected result:** You see **Reason (optional)**, **Cancel Event (Keep in History)**, and **Delete Permanently**. Edit event form scrolled to Cancel or Delete Event section with optional reason field and Cancel Event and Delete Permanently buttons *Scroll to **Cancel or Delete Event** at the bottom of the edit form. Add a short reason so your team understands what happened later.* In **Reason (optional)**, type a short explanation of why the event is being cancelled. Example: "Customer requested cancellation by phone" or "Appointment replaced by new time on Friday." A reason helps the next person understand what happened without needing to ask. Even though it is optional, adding a reason saves time later. Click **Cancel Event (Keep in History)**. This keeps the record but marks it as cancelled. A confirmation window titled **Cancel appointment?** appears. It explains that the appointment will stay visible as cancelled. Read the confirmation message. If it looks correct, click **Cancel appointment**. If you are not ready, click **Keep** to go back without changing anything. After you confirm, a window asks **Notify the customer?** Choose **Yes** to notify them about the cancellation, or **No** to cancel without notifying the customer. Team notifications still send. Closing that window leaves the event unchanged. **Expected result:** The event stays in your history with a **Cancelled** status. It no longer counts as active work on the calendar, but your team can still find it when needed. Cancel appointment confirmation dialog with Keep and Cancel appointment buttons *Read the confirmation window before you click **Cancel appointment**. **Keep** returns you to the edit form with no changes.* The confirmation window usually shows: * **Title:** Cancel appointment? * **Message:** This will keep the appointment visible as cancelled. * **Buttons:** **Keep** (go back) and **Cancel appointment** (complete the cancellation) If you added a reason in the optional field, that reason may appear in the confirmation text. ## Delete an event that should not remain From [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule), click the event you want to remove completely (or use **Details** in table view). Click **Edit Event** to open the edit form. Scroll down and click the **Cancel or Delete Event** bar to expand it. Add a reason so admins understand why the event was removed. Example: "Created for wrong customer — duplicate of event #234." Click **Delete Permanently**. This action cannot be undone. A window titled **Delete event?** appears. Read it carefully. It warns that this action is permanent. Click **Delete** only if you are sure this event should be removed from all records. Click **Keep** if you changed your mind. **Expected result:** The event disappears from the active schedule and cannot be recovered. Schedule in Table view listing appointments with status column showing scheduled, cancelled, and in-progress work *Switch to **Table** view in [Schedule](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/schedule) to see cancelled work alongside active appointments. Cancelled rows stay in your history instead of disappearing.* **Find cancelled work later** In **Table** view, click the **Status** column header to group rows. You can also search by customer name — cancelled events still show the customer and vehicle for reference. ## What happens after canceling or deleting * A cancelled event is kept as a record and shows a **Cancelled** status. Your team can still find it in history if questions come up later. * A deleted event is removed from the active schedule and cannot be recovered. * Completed events may not be available for cancellation — they already have a final status. * Recurring events may ask whether you want to cancel or delete only one occurrence or the whole series. ## Common mistakes to avoid **Do not delete customer cancellations by default** If the event was real and the customer cancelled, use **Cancel Event (Keep in History)**. This helps your team answer future questions like "Why was this appointment not completed?" and keeps your records accurate. **Read recurring event prompts carefully** If the event repeats, the app may show a window titled **Delete recurring event** and ask whether to change **Only this event** or **All events in the series**. Choose slowly and read the prompt. Accidentally choosing **All events in series** could cancel or delete many future appointments. **Add a short reason** A reason is optional, but it reduces confusion later. Keep it simple and factual — one sentence is enough. Example: "Customer reschedule — new appointment is Thursday at 2 PM." ## Troubleshooting **I cannot cancel the event** Some older or completed events cannot be cancelled from Schedule. If the event has a **Completed** status, it is already finished and should remain in history. If something is wrong with a completed event, ask an admin before taking action. **I deleted the wrong event** Contact an admin or support as soon as possible. Include the customer name, vehicle, date, and approximate time so the event can be investigated. Deletion is permanent, but acting quickly may help your team recover the information. **The customer still needs a new time** Cancel the old event first (so it does not clutter the schedule), then create a new event with the correct date and time using [Create an appointment](/docs/schedule/create-an-appointment). This keeps the record clear — old time cancelled, new time confirmed. **Status changes may ask for confirmation** If you change status from the event panel before cancelling (for example moving from **In Progress** back to **Scheduled**), the app may show a **Change status?** window. Read it before you confirm. See [Track work in the Progress view](/docs/schedule/track-work-in-progress-view). ## What to do next If the event still needs to happen at another time, create a new event with [Create an appointment](/docs/schedule/create-an-appointment). If an existing event just needs a time change (without cancelling), use [Update, assign, or reschedule an event](/docs/schedule/update-assign-or-reschedule-an-event) instead. ## Related topics - [Test an event setup](/docs/events/test-an-event-setup.md) - [Update, assign, or reschedule an event](/docs/schedule/update-assign-or-reschedule-an-event.md) - [Set closed days for events](/docs/events/set-closed-days-for-events.md) - [Track work in the Progress view](/docs/schedule/track-work-in-progress-view.md) - [Create an appointment](/docs/schedule/create-an-appointment.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.