Purge Versions for Confluence after moving to Cloud: what replaces it

By Kayabyte · Updated 11 November 2026

Short answer: Purge Versions for Confluence is a Data Center app. Its latest version (1.4.7, January 2026) supports Confluence Data Center 8.0 to 9.5, and the Atlassian Marketplace lists no Cloud version of it (checked on 11 November 2026). Confluence Cloud itself still has no setting that keeps only the newest N versions of a page (CONFCLOUD-27701). After a move to Cloud you can delete versions by hand, script the REST API, or use a Cloud app such as Pruner: Version History Cleanup for Confluence, which applies a keep-the-newest-N policy to pages and attachments.

If your Data Center site used a retention app to keep page history short, that job stops on the day you move. Server and Data Center apps don’t run in Cloud, and old versions start piling up again, now counted against Cloud storage on the Free and Standard plans.

What Purge Versions did on Data Center

Its Marketplace listing describes it as purging old page and attachment versions while retaining the last few, either automatically or on demand. Before you migrate, write down how you had it set up:

How many versions it kept per page and per attachment.
Whether it ran on a schedule or only when an admin started it.
Which spaces it covered, and which ones you left alone on purpose (legal, policy or audit spaces often keep their full history).

Those three answers are your retention policy in Cloud.

What changes in Cloud

No server apps. Cloud runs Forge or Connect apps only, so a Data Center app either has a separate Cloud version or none.
Storage limits. Free has 2 GB and Standard 250 GB of file storage; every version of an attachment is a full copy of the file. See Confluence storage almost full?
No bulk delete. You can delete one page version at a time from the page history, and one attachment version at a time from the attachment list (CONFCLOUD-46541).
Migration brings history along. The Cloud Migration Assistant moves page history, so a site that was never cleaned arrives with all of it.

Your options in Cloud

1. Delete versions by hand. Fine for a handful of pages. Deleted versions can’t be restored, and attachment versions need the Space Administrator permission. The steps are in How to delete old page versions in Confluence Cloud.

2. Script the REST API. Cloud has a call that deletes one page version, DELETE /wiki/rest/api/content/{id}/version/{versionNumber}. A script has to page through spaces and pages, decide what to keep, re-read version numbers after each delete, and handle rate limits. It also needs somewhere to run if you want it on a schedule.

3. Use a Cloud app. Pruner is the app we make for this job.

Purge Versions setting on Data Center	In Pruner (Cloud)
Keep the last N page versions	Keep the newest N versions of each page
Keep the last N attachment versions	Same policy for attachment versions
Run automatically	Optional nightly clean-up, off until an admin turns it on
Run on demand	Manual clean-up after a preview and a confirmation
Choose spaces	Pick spaces, or leave empty for every space

What Pruner adds is a preview: how many page and attachment versions the policy would delete, how much storage the attachment versions use, and which pages have the most history, before anything is deleted. You can also keep versions younger than a set number of days.

Where it differs: deleted versions can’t be restored, archived pages are skipped, and pages restricted to named people are only included in a manual clean-up by an admin who can see them. Pruner runs on Atlassian Forge and makes no calls outside Atlassian. It is on the Atlassian Marketplace.

A first policy after migration

Start generous: keep 20 versions, and only delete versions older than 180 days.
Run the preview and look at the storage figure and the pages with the most history.
Run one manual clean-up, check a few busy pages, then tighten the policy toward what you had on Data Center.
Turn on the nightly clean-up only when the numbers look right.

Not a Confluence admin? Send this to yours

Only an admin can install apps. Copy this note and send it to yours:

Could we try Pruner? Delete old versions of Confluence pages and attachments, keep the newest ones, preview what goes first, and free up storage. Nightly clean-up is optional. It is on the Atlassian Marketplace and built on Atlassian Forge, and it makes no calls outside Atlassian. Free for up to 10 users. Listing: https://go.kayabyte.dev/atl/pruner?s=site-ask-purge-versions-confluence-cloud-alternative

FAQ

Is there a Cloud version of Purge Versions for Confluence? Not on the Atlassian Marketplace when checked on 11 November 2026; its listing supports Confluence Data Center 8.0 to 9.5.

Does the Cloud Migration Assistant remove old versions? No. It moves pages with their history, so old versions arrive in Cloud too.

Can Confluence Cloud keep only the last N versions on its own? No. That is the open request CONFCLOUD-27701.

Should I clean up before or after migrating? Either works. Cleaning up on Data Center first means less to migrate; cleaning up in Cloud means the policy keeps running afterwards.

Confluence and Atlassian are trademarks of Atlassian. Purge Versions for Confluence is a product of its vendor. Kayabyte is an independent developer and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Atlassian or the makers of Purge Versions.