diff --git a/src/public/app/widgets/type_widgets/options/other/note_erasure_timeout.ts b/src/public/app/widgets/type_widgets/options/other/note_erasure_timeout.ts
index 876cf36d3..6b187a825 100644
--- a/src/public/app/widgets/type_widgets/options/other/note_erasure_timeout.ts
+++ b/src/public/app/widgets/type_widgets/options/other/note_erasure_timeout.ts
@@ -11,26 +11,62 @@ const TPL = `
     <p>${t("note_erasure_timeout.note_erasure_description")}</p>
 
     <div class="form-group">
-        <label>${t("note_erasure_timeout.erase_notes_after_x_seconds")}</label>
-        <input class="erase-entities-after-time-in-seconds form-control options-number-input" type="number" min="0">
+        <label for="erase-entities-after-time">${t("note_erasure_timeout.erase_notes_after_x_seconds")}</label>
+        <div class="d-flex gap-2">
+            <input id="erase-entities-after-time" class="form-control options-number-input" type="number" min="0" steps="1" required>
+            <!-- TriliumNextTODO: i18n the strings -->
+            <select id="erase-entities-after-time-scale" class="form-select" required>
+                <option value="1">Seconds</option>
+                <option value="60">Minutes</option>
+                <option value="3600">Hours</option>
+                <option value="86400">Days</option>
+            </select>
+        </div>
     </div>
 
     <p>${t("note_erasure_timeout.manual_erasing_description")}</p>
 
-    <button class="erase-deleted-notes-now-button btn btn-secondary">${t("note_erasure_timeout.erase_deleted_notes_now")}</button>
+    <button id="erase-deleted-notes-now-button" class="btn btn-secondary">${t("note_erasure_timeout.erase_deleted_notes_now")}</button>
 </div>`;
 
 export default class NoteErasureTimeoutOptions extends OptionsWidget {
 
-    private $eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds!: JQuery<HTMLElement>;
-    private $eraseDeletedNotesButton!: JQuery<HTMLElement>;
+    private $eraseEntitiesAfterTime!: JQuery<HTMLInputElement>;
+    private $eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale!: JQuery<HTMLSelectElement>;
+    private $eraseDeletedNotesButton!: JQuery<HTMLButtonElement>;
+    private eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds!: string | number;
 
     doRender() {
         this.$widget = $(TPL);
-        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds = this.$widget.find(".erase-entities-after-time-in-seconds");
-        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds.on("change", () => this.updateOption("eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds", this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds.val()));
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime = this.$widget.find("#erase-entities-after-time");
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale = this.$widget.find("#erase-entities-after-time-scale");
 
-        this.$eraseDeletedNotesButton = this.$widget.find(".erase-deleted-notes-now-button");
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime.on("change", () => {
+            const time = this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime.val();
+            const timeScale = this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale.val();
+
+            if (!this.handleTimeValidation() || typeof timeScale !== "string" || !time) return;
+
+            this.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds = this.convertTime(time, timeScale).toOption();
+            this.updateOption("eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds", this.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds);
+
+        });
+
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale.on("change", () => {
+
+            const timeScale = this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale.val();
+
+            if (!this.handleTimeValidation() || typeof timeScale !== "string") return;
+
+            //calculate the new displayed value
+            const displayedTime = this.convertTime(this.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds, timeScale).toDisplay();
+
+            this.updateOption("eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale", timeScale);
+            this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime.val(displayedTime).trigger("change");
+
+        });
+
+        this.$eraseDeletedNotesButton = this.$widget.find("#erase-deleted-notes-now-button");
         this.$eraseDeletedNotesButton.on("click", () => {
             server.post("notes/erase-deleted-notes-now").then(() => {
                 toastService.showMessage(t("note_erasure_timeout.deleted_notes_erased"));
@@ -39,6 +75,40 @@ export default class NoteErasureTimeoutOptions extends OptionsWidget {
     }
 
     async optionsLoaded(options: OptionMap) {
-        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds.val(options.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds);
+        this.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds = options.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds;
+
+        const displayedTime = this.convertTime(options.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds, options.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale).toDisplay();
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime.val(displayedTime);
+        this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale.val(options.eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale);
     }
+
+
+    convertTime(time: string | number, timeScale: string | number) {
+
+        const value = typeof time === "number" ? time : parseInt(time);
+        if (Number.isNaN(value)) {
+          throw new Error(`Time needs to be a valid integer, but received: ${time}`);
+        }
+
+        const operand = typeof timeScale === "number" ? timeScale : parseInt(timeScale);
+        if (Number.isNaN(operand) || operand < 1) {
+            throw new Error(`TimeScale needs to be a valid integer >= 1, but received: ${timeScale}`);
+        }
+
+        return {
+            toOption: () => Math.ceil(value * operand),
+            toDisplay: () => Math.ceil(value / operand),
+        }
+
+    }
+
+    handleTimeValidation() {
+        if (this.$eraseEntitiesAfterTime.is(":invalid")) {
+            // TriliumNextTODO: i18n
+            toastService.showMessage("The entered time value is not a valid number.");
+            return false
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/routes/api/options.ts b/src/routes/api/options.ts
index 257344cab..14cb7ec42 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/options.ts
+++ b/src/routes/api/options.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import type { OptionNames } from "../../services/options_interface.js";
 // options allowed to be updated directly in the Options dialog
 const ALLOWED_OPTIONS = new Set([
     "eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds",
+    "eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale",
     "protectedSessionTimeout",
     "revisionSnapshotTimeInterval",
     "revisionSnapshotNumberLimit",
diff --git a/src/services/options_init.ts b/src/services/options_init.ts
index dedd1a896..bb962835d 100644
--- a/src/services/options_init.ts
+++ b/src/services/options_init.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ const defaultOptions: DefaultOption[] = [
     { name: "rightPaneVisible", value: "true", isSynced: false },
     { name: "nativeTitleBarVisible", value: "false", isSynced: false },
     { name: "eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds", value: "604800", isSynced: true }, // default is 7 days
+    { name: "eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale", value: "86400", isSynced: true }, // default 86400 seconds = Day
     { name: "hideArchivedNotes_main", value: "false", isSynced: false },
     { name: "debugModeEnabled", value: "false", isSynced: false },
     { name: "headingStyle", value: "underline", isSynced: true },
diff --git a/src/services/options_interface.ts b/src/services/options_interface.ts
index 2632b7b2e..f3a92383b 100644
--- a/src/services/options_interface.ts
+++ b/src/services/options_interface.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ export interface OptionDefinitions extends KeyboardShortcutsOptions<KeyboardActi
     leftPaneWidth: number;
     rightPaneWidth: number;
     eraseEntitiesAfterTimeInSeconds: number;
+    eraseEntitiesAfterTimeScale: number;
     autoReadonlySizeText: number;
     autoReadonlySizeCode: number;
     maxContentWidth: number;