# Pause or close a project

> Take a project off your Active list: pause it while work is on hold, or close it when the job is finished.

Source: https://docs.moodiri.com/projects/archive-a-project

## Why use it

Finished and stalled jobs crowd your Active list and make it harder to see what needs attention today. Pausing or closing moves a project to the **Archive** view without deleting anything, and you can bring it back at any time.

## When to use it

- **The client put the job on hold.** Pause it. Nothing about invoices, payments or unbilled time changes.
- **The work is finished, or the client ended it.** Close it. Moodiri first shows draft and unpaid invoices, unbilled time and held funds so nothing is left hanging. See [Close a project](https://docs.moodiri.com/projects/close-a-project).

To remove a project you created by mistake, delete it instead: [Delete, restore and permanently delete a project](https://docs.moodiri.com/projects/delete-restore-and-permanently-delete-a-project).

## Before you start

- You need to be the owner or an admin. Closing also needs the **Delete projects** permission.
- Save or discard any changes in **Edit project** first. Pausing or closing discards unsaved edits in the dialog.

## Steps

![Project overview for Lombard Street Loft, marked Active, with the status action buttons at the top right of the project card and the Tasks, Spaces and Clients cards below.](https://docs.moodiri.com/shots/projects--archive-a-project-1600.webp)
Same screen with numbered callouts: https://docs.moodiri.com/shots/projects--archive-a-project-annotated.webp
1. Open the project and choose **Edit project** (the pencil at the top right of the project card).
2. In the dialog footer, choose **Archive…**.
3. Choose **Pause project** to put the job on hold, or **Close project** to review open money and close it.

## What happens next

- **Pause project** sets the project to **On hold** and moves it from **Active** to **Archive**. Invoices, payments and unbilled work stay as they are.
- **Close project** opens the close review. When it finishes, the project is marked completed and moved to **Archive**.
- Either way you return to the projects list with a confirmation.
- To resume, open **Archive** and choose **Restore**. The project becomes active again.

## Limits

- **Edit project** › **Archive…** asks you to choose **Pause project** or **Close project**.
- A completed or cancelled project cannot be paused; the dialog only offers **Close project**.
- The **Status** field in **Edit project** offers only **Active** and **On hold**. Closing always goes through **Archive…** › **Close project**.
- **Restore** on the **Archive** view needs the **Delete projects** permission.

## Questions

### How do I bring a paused project back?

Open **Projects**, switch to **Archive** and choose **Restore** on the card. You can also set **Status** back to **Active** in **Edit project**.

### Why is there no Pause option?

A completed or cancelled project can't be paused. You can only close it, or restore it from the **Archive** view first.

### Can I just set the status to Completed?

No. The **Status** field in **Edit project** only offers **Active** and **On hold**. Closing always goes through **Archive…** › **Close project**, so open invoices are reviewed first.