Vercel | Hobby Deployment Retention Changes Preview Work
Vercel revised Hobby deployment retention on September 16, 2026. The change affects older deployments and preview history, making storage management more relevant for designers who keep several website experiments or client demonstrations on the platform.
A preview URL should not be treated as a permanent archive
Hobby teams have 10 GB of deployment storage. Above the allowance, deployments outside the retention exceptions can now be removed immediately rather than waiting for the normal 30-day window. Reaching the storage limit can also prevent further deployment until space becomes available.
For a template review, distinguish the version being discussed from the project's long-term record. A link is convenient for feedback, but the associated source files, assets, and revision notes should explain how to reproduce that version. This is especially useful when a client returns to a proposal after a long pause.
Protection now focuses on a smaller deployment history
Each Hobby project retains its three most recent production deployments and three most recent deployments of any type regardless of age. Preview deployments no longer receive a separate protected allocation. These groups may overlap and should not be interpreted as six guaranteed distinct versions.
Choose a review process that makes the current proposal clear. When sending a new preview, identify what changed and which earlier proposal it replaces. Avoid keeping several unlabeled links in a conversation and expecting reviewers to know which navigation, typography, or content arrangement is the accepted one.
Current production remains protected
The live production deployment is never removed under this policy. Aliased deployments and those associated with active branches also remain protected, with other exceptions documented by Vercel. The change therefore needs to be understood through both age and protection conditions.
Teams should inspect the actual deployment list before deciding how to preserve an important reference. A website may have review branches, demonstration aliases, and older experiments that serve different purposes. Document those purposes so a later cleanup does not depend on somebody remembering why a particular version exists.
Keep design history reproducible outside a temporary preview
A practical handoff could include the source revision, the assets used, and a short description of the approved state. Screenshots can support a visual discussion, but they do not capture responsive behavior, keyboard interaction, or the complete implementation.
Test whether an older revision can be rebuilt before relying on it as a fallback. Pay attention to configuration and external content that may have changed since the original review. The goal is a recoverable design decision, not an increasingly long list of preview links with uncertain meaning.
IMPORTANT: On Hobby teams above 10 GB, unprotected deployments can be deleted immediately. Keep important review material reproducible and inspect retention exceptions before relying on an old preview URL.{alertWarning}
Daisuki's Take: What This Means for Web Designers
We see this as a reminder to separate short-term previews from a durable project history. A demonstration helps people evaluate a design; the underlying revision records what the team actually agreed to build.
For independent creators, a small amount of naming and documentation can prevent substantial confusion later. Tie feedback to a specific version and make the accepted proposal easy to find.
We would review storage alongside the next publishing task, rather than discovering a limit during a deadline. A predictable release process includes knowing which references remain available and how to recover an earlier design.
Sources and Recommended Links
- Hobby projects now retain fewer deployments to free up storage | Vercel Official Changelog
- Deployment Retention | Vercel Official Documentation
