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We accidently pushed some data into a branch in Azure Repo and created 3 PRs(2 merged and 1 Abandoned). We want to delete the records of the PRs. We can not find any way to do it.
Appreciate if anyone could help in this regard?
Azure DevOps retains PRs for traceability. If complete removal is mandatory, repository recreation is the only full-proof method:
.git folder to clear history.git init) and push it to a new Azure Repo.You would ofc loose all PRs this way...
The other method would be, to use the Azure DevOps AI to update the PR details to minimize their visibility (rename, remove descriptions):
Hello Martin, Wont removing .git file remove all commit history as well? Also is there a count limit of how many PRs Azure DevOps can retain for view?
Good point and yes, deleting the .git directory removes your commit history and all associated metadata.
Azure DevOps PRs: There’s no fixed count limit on retained PRs, but practical considerations like UI pagination and performance might come into play with very large numbers of PRs.
Thanks Martin, Seems we cant do anything about it. The main concern is the completed PRs are still showing the files.
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Thanks @Martin Brandl for the insightful response! Just to add on for the community’s benefit:
Yes @M Usman Siddiqui , removing/deleting the .git folder clears the commit history and all associated metadata, including pull requests. However, this will also result in the loss of your entire commit history, so it’s important to consider the trade-off.
As for the retention of pull requests in Azure DevOps, there is no hard limit on the number of PRs that can be stored. However, as Martin mentioned, performance considerations come into play. With very large numbers of PRs, you might encounter slower UI responsiveness or pagination issues, but Azure DevOps doesn’t impose a strict limit on how many PRs can be retained.
Hope it helps!
Please do not forget to click "Accept the answer” and Yes wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.
If you have any other questions or still running into more issues, let me know in the "comments" and I would be happy to help you.
Thanks Suresh, Seems we cant do anything about it. The main concern is the completed PRs are still showing the files.
Report a concern
@M Usman Siddiqui , Azure DevOps may retain the history and metadata of PRs for traceability and auditing purposes, and there isn't a built-in feature to fully remove those files from the PR view.
If this is a significant concern for you, consider reaching out to Azure DevOps support by reporting a concern through the portal, explaining the issue in detail and requesting if they can provide any more granular control over the visibility or removal of file changes from completed PRs.
To report a concern:
Thanks Suresh, We opened a support ticket with Azure and got the response that they cant do anything about this issue.
I will try to put this in feedback.
Thansk again.
Thanks for the update, @M Usman Siddiqui . It's a bit unfortunate that Azure couldn't provide a solution, submitting feedback is a good next step. Hopefully, they'll consider addressing this in future updates. If you need any further help or just want to discuss other options, feel free to reach out. Thanks again for sharing the information! If the suggestions or insights I’ve provided were helpful, please click Accept Answer and Yes. This is for the benefit of the community.