Records and attachments have different lifetimes, and that is on purpose.

Two clocks, and only one of them is loud

Nothing warns you that an attachment is about to expire. The record stays, the field values stay, the delivery history stays — the file simply stops being there. That asymmetry is the single most surprising thing about retention in any form backend, so it is worth stating plainly: an old submission is a complete record of what someone typed and an incomplete record of what they attached.

Why files expire at all

Attachments are the part of a submission most likely to contain something you would rather not keep: identity documents, screenshots of a bank page, a photo of a receipt. A default window that ends is a safer default than indefinite accumulation, and the window is a setting rather than a plan feature so that it can be reasoned about by the person who owns the data.

Export is the real retention policy

A CSV export pulled on a schedule is the only retention policy that survives the product changing under you. Export the fields you would need to answer a question a year later — who, when, what they asked for — and keep the files you actually need in storage you control. The export is per form, which is another argument for narrower forms: a form whose submissions you must keep for two years should not also collect newsletter signups.

Deleting a form is the destructive action

Removing a form removes its submissions. That is the right semantics — a deleted form that still holds a year of enquiries is a liability — but it means the decision to delete is really a decision about the data. If the form is being replaced, export first, then delete, then create the replacement.

Consent and retention are the same conversation

If you told someone their data would be kept for a stated period, the retention window is that promise made operational. If you never said anything, the default window is doing the promising for you. Either way, the person filling in the form is relying on a number you should be able to state out loud.