diff --git a/app/vmstorage/promdb/promdb.go b/app/vmstorage/promdb/promdb.go
index 5ced884be..8ec4fd0b6 100644
--- a/app/vmstorage/promdb/promdb.go
+++ b/app/vmstorage/promdb/promdb.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/oklog/ulid"
+
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/app/vmselect/searchutils"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/logger"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/storage"
@@ -15,12 +17,18 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/tsdb"
 )
 
-var prometheusDataPath = flag.String("prometheusDataPath", "", "Optinal path to readonly historical Prometheus data")
+var (
+	prometheusDataPath = flag.String("prometheusDataPath", "", "Optinal path to readonly historical Prometheus data")
+)
+
+// filters prometheus db response.
+var maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs int64
 
 // Init must be called after flag.Parse and before using the package.
 //
 // See also MustClose.
 func Init(retentionMsecs int64) {
+	maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs = time.Now().Unix()*1000 - retentionMsecs
 	if promDB != nil {
 		logger.Fatalf("BUG: it looks like MustOpenPromDB is called multiple times without MustClosePromDB call")
 	}
@@ -32,7 +40,41 @@ func Init(retentionMsecs int64) {
 		return nil
 	})
 	opts := tsdb.DefaultOptions()
+	// set max block duration to the 10% of retention period or 31 day.
+	// its common setting for promethues.
+	// https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/storage/#compaction
+	maxBlockDuration := int64((31 * 24 * time.Hour) / time.Millisecond)
+
+	opts.MaxBlockDuration = maxBlockDuration
 	opts.RetentionDuration = retentionMsecs
+	if retentionMsecs/10 < maxBlockDuration {
+		opts.MaxBlockDuration = retentionMsecs / 10
+	}
+	// its needed to make correct compaction ranges.
+	// if minBlockDuration*3 > maxBlockDuration, no compaction will be made.
+	// its case for retention less then 60 hours.
+	if opts.MaxBlockDuration < opts.MinBlockDuration {
+		opts.MinBlockDuration = opts.MaxBlockDuration / 3
+	}
+
+	// custom delete function is needed, because prometheus uses BeyondTimeRetention func,
+	// that calculates the difference between the first block and this block is larger than
+	// the retention period so any blocks after that are added as deletable.
+	// https://github.com/prometheus/prometheus/blob/997bb7134fcfd7279f250e183e78681e48a56aff/tsdb/db.go#L1116
+	opts.BlocksToDelete = func(blocks []*tsdb.Block) map[ulid.ULID]struct{} {
+		deletable := make(map[ulid.ULID]struct{})
+		for _, block := range blocks {
+			// add block marked for deletion by compaction.
+			if block.Meta().Compaction.Deletable {
+				deletable[block.Meta().ULID] = struct{}{}
+				continue
+			}
+			if block.MaxTime() < maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs {
+				deletable[block.Meta().ULID] = struct{}{}
+			}
+		}
+		return deletable
+	}
 	pdb, err := tsdb.Open(*prometheusDataPath, l, nil, opts)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot open Prometheus data at -prometheusDataPath=%q: %s", *prometheusDataPath, err)
@@ -135,7 +177,10 @@ func VisitSeries(sq *storage.SearchQuery, fetchData bool, deadline searchutils.D
 	d := time.Unix(int64(deadline.Deadline()), 0)
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithDeadline(context.Background(), d)
 	defer cancel()
-	q, err := promDB.Querier(ctx, sq.MinTimestamp, sq.MaxTimestamp)
+	// adjust search query time range.
+	// Prometheus keeps recent data at wal and it will not be deleted.
+	min, max := adjustSearchQueryMinMaxTimestamps(sq, maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs)
+	q, err := promDB.Querier(ctx, min, max)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -176,6 +221,19 @@ func VisitSeries(sq *storage.SearchQuery, fetchData bool, deadline searchutils.D
 	return ss.Err()
 }
 
+// ensures, that search query is inside retention period.
+func adjustSearchQueryMinMaxTimestamps(sq *storage.SearchQuery, maxTimestamp int64) (int64, int64) {
+	max := sq.MaxTimestamp
+	min := sq.MinTimestamp
+	if sq.MaxTimestamp < maxTimestamp {
+		max = maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs
+	}
+	if sq.MinTimestamp < maxTimestamp {
+		min = maxRetentionTimeStampMsecs
+	}
+	return min, max
+}
+
 func convertPromLabelsToMetricName(dst *storage.MetricName, labels []labels.Label) {
 	dst.Reset()
 	for _, label := range labels {