> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ditto.live/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# DELETE
> DQL language syntax for deleting documents
To remove a document from an Edge SDK device without permanently deleting it see [`EVICT`](/dql/evict).
When using `DELETE` ensure that devices running Ditto Edge SDK are on version **4.10.1 and later**.
For more information on how to use delete and manage data reach out to [Ditto's Customer Support](https://support.ditto.com)
When using `DELETE` on Edge SDKs-Only deployments reach out to [Ditto's Customer Support](https://support.ditto.com) to ensure the
best design patterns are being used to avoid data loss and/or performance related issues.
Deletes in Ditto requires all devices to connect and share information within the TTL window. If a device goes offline then appears later after all other
devices have evicted the deleted document the connecting device will not know the document was deleted and share it with other peers.
Deletes in Ditto require all devices to connect and share updates within the configured TTL (time-to-live) window. Default 7 days (TOMBSTONE\_TTL\_HOURS) for
Edge SDK, 30 days for Ditto Cloud.
If a device goes offline and returns after all other devices have already evicted the deleted document, that device will not be aware of the deletion.
As a result, it may reintroduce the document to the sync network, causing it to reappear on other devices.
To learn more about how to best use DELETE in your application reach out to [Ditto's Customer Support](https://support.ditto.com)
The `DELETE` operation permanently removes one or more documents from a Ditto collection. Once a document is
deleted it cannot be recovered. Deleted documents can be re-created by using the [`INSERT`](/dql/insert) operation with
the same document id as the deleted document.
## Syntax
```sql DQL theme={null}
DELETE FROM your_collection_name
USE IDS [ids]
WHERE [condition]
ORDER BY [order by]
LIMIT [limit]
OFFSET [offset]
RETURNING [projection]
```
In this syntax:
* `your_collection_name` is the name of the collection from which you want to retrieve the data.
* `[ids]` represents the document IDs to delete, given as a parameter or a literal list, rather than selecting documents with a `WHERE` predicate (optional).
* `[condition]` represents the condition or criteria that determine which documents should be evicted from the local peer.
* `[order by]` represents the path within a document to use to order the dataset and order (`ASC` or `DESC`).
* `[limit]` represents the maximum number of documents that should be evicted.
* `[offset]` represents the offset from 0 that should be used for the eviction query, in practice this should be rarely used.
* `[projection]` returns fields or expressions taken from the deleted documents (optional). See [RETURNING](/dql/returning).
## Examples of Deleting Documents
Here, the document with ID `123` is permanently removed from the `cars` collection:
```sql DQL theme={null}
DELETE FROM cars
WHERE _id = '123'
```
In the following snippet, all documents created before the defined value are removed:
```sql DQL theme={null}
DELETE FROM cars
WHERE created_at < 1699888298000
```
## Deleting Documents by ID
`USE IDS` on `DELETE` is available in SDK 5.1 and later.
The optional `USE IDS` clause names the documents to delete by ID, instead of selecting them with a `WHERE` predicate. The IDs may be supplied as a literal list or as a query parameter:
```sql DQL theme={null}
-- Literal list of IDs
DELETE FROM cars USE IDS '123', '456'
-- IDs supplied as a parameter
DELETE FROM cars USE IDS :ids
```
## DELETE with RETURNING
`RETURNING` is available in SDK 5.1 and later.
Add a `RETURNING` clause to get back the deleted documents, as they were immediately before removal, rather than just the IDs of the documents that were deleted:
```sql DQL theme={null}
-- Return the complete deleted documents
DELETE FROM cars
USE IDS '123'
RETURNING *
-- Return selected fields of the deleted documents
DELETE FROM cars
WHERE created_at < 1699888298000
RETURNING _id, color
-- Return a count of the documents removed
DELETE FROM cars
WHERE created_at < 1699888298000
RETURNING COUNT(*) AS removed
```
Because the documents no longer exist once the statement completes, `RETURNING` is the only way to recover their contents. For the full projection rules, aggregate support and the restrictions that apply, see [RETURNING](/dql/returning).
## Using DQL to Delete Documents in the Edge SDK
For specifics on deleting documents Ditto SDKs see [`SDK>CRUD>Removing Documents`](/sdk/latest/crud/delete).
## TOMBSTONE Keyword
The `TOMBSTONE` keyword (currently Ditto Server only) is a synonym for the new `DELETE` keyword. Users using the `TOMBSTONE` keyword will get the auto
cleanup properties of `DELETE` without any changes. `TOMBSTONE` will be deprecated/removed in an upcoming Major release.
## Removing Fields from Documents
The `DELETE` keyword is used to remove documents from a collection. To remove a
specific field from a document see [Update > Deleting
Fields](/dql/update#deleting-fields).
## Removing a Collection
DQL does not provide a `DROP COLLECTION` statement, and the portal does not expose an action to delete a collection directly. Deleting every document in a collection is **not** equivalent to dropping it — the collection itself continues to exist after its documents are removed.
To empty a collection of its documents, run:
```sql DQL theme={null}
DELETE FROM your_collection_name
```
You can run this from the **DQL Editor** in the [Data Browser and Editor](/cloud/portal/data-browser-and-editor), or from any SDK using `store.execute`.
## Related topics
- [Glossary](/home/glossary.md)
- [Migration Guide for Atlas Device Sync](/sdk/v4/quickstarts/mongodb-migrationguide.md)
- [Execute a DQL query](/cloud/http-api/api/post-storeexecute.md)