Delete documents and fields

The following examples demonstrate how to delete documents, fields, and collections.

Delete documents

To delete a document, use the following language-specific delete() methods:

Web version 9

Use the deleteDoc() method:

import { doc, deleteDoc } from "firebase/firestore";

await deleteDoc(doc(db, "cities", "DC"));
delete_document.js

Web version 8

Use the delete() method:

db.collection("cities").doc("DC").delete().then(() => {
    console.log("Document successfully deleted!");
}).catch((error) => {
    console.error("Error removing document: ", error);
});
test.firestore.js
Swift

Use the delete() method:

Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
do {
  try await db.collection("cities").document("DC").delete()
  print("Document successfully removed!")
} catch {
  print("Error removing document: \(error)")
}
ViewController.swift
Objective-C

Use the deleteDocumentWithCompletion: method:

Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
[[[self.db collectionWithPath:@"cities"] documentWithPath:@"DC"]
    deleteDocumentWithCompletion:^(NSError * _Nullable error) {
      if (error != nil) {
        NSLog(@"Error removing document: %@", error);
      } else {
        NSLog(@"Document successfully removed!");
      }
}];
ViewController.m
Kotlin
Android

Use the delete() method:

db.collection("cities").document("DC")
    .delete()
    .addOnSuccessListener { Log.d(TAG, "DocumentSnapshot successfully deleted!") }
    .addOnFailureListener { e -> Log.w(TAG, "Error deleting document", e) }
DocSnippets.kt
Java
Android

Use the delete() method:

db.collection("cities").document("DC")
        .delete()
        .addOnSuccessListener(new OnSuccessListener<Void>() {
            @Override
            public void onSuccess(Void aVoid) {
                Log.d(TAG, "DocumentSnapshot successfully deleted!");
            }
        })
        .addOnFailureListener(new OnFailureListener() {
            @Override
            public void onFailure(@NonNull Exception e) {
                Log.w(TAG, "Error deleting document", e);
            }
        });
DocSnippets.java

Dart

Use the delete() method:

db.collection("cities").doc("DC").delete().then(
      (doc) => print("Document deleted"),
      onError: (e) => print("Error updating document $e"),
    );
firestore.dart
Java

Use the delete() method:

// asynchronously delete a document
ApiFuture<WriteResult> writeResult = db.collection("cities").document("DC").delete();
// ...
System.out.println("Update time : " + writeResult.get().getUpdateTime());
ManageDataSnippets.java
Python

Use the delete() method:

db.collection("cities").document("DC").delete()
snippets.py
Python
(Async)

Use the delete() method:

await db.collection("cities").document("DC").delete()
snippets.py
C++

Use the Delete() method:

db->Collection("cities").Document("DC").Delete().OnCompletion(
    [](const Future<void>& future) {
      if (future.error() == Error::kErrorOk) {
        std::cout << "DocumentSnapshot successfully deleted!" << std::endl;
      } else {
        std::cout << "Error deleting document: " << future.error_message()
                  << std::endl;
      }
    });
snippets.cpp
Node.js

Use the delete() method:

const res = await db.collection('cities').doc('DC').delete();
index.js
Go

Use the Delete() method:


import (
	"context"
	"log"

	"cloud.google.com/go/firestore"
)

func deleteDoc(ctx context.Context, client *firestore.Client) error {
	_, err := client.Collection("cities").Doc("DC").Delete(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		// Handle any errors in an appropriate way, such as returning them.
		log.Printf("An error has occurred: %s", err)
	}

	return err
}

save_data_delete_doc.go
PHP

Use the delete() method:

$db->collection('samples/php/cities')->document('DC')->delete();
data_delete_doc.php
Unity

Use the DeleteAsync() method:

DocumentReference cityRef = db.Collection("cities").Document("DC");
cityRef.DeleteAsync();
C#

Use the DeleteAsync() method:

DocumentReference cityRef = db.Collection("cities").Document("DC");
await cityRef.DeleteAsync();
Program.cs
Ruby

Use the delete() method:

city_ref = firestore.doc "#{collection_path}/DC"
city_ref.delete
delete_data.rb

When you delete a document, Firestore does not automatically delete the documents within its subcollections. You can still access the subcollection documents by reference. For example, you can access the document at path /mycoll/mydoc/mysubcoll/mysubdoc even if you delete the ancestor document at /mycoll/mydoc.

Non-existent ancestor documents appear in the console, but they do not appear in query results and snapshots.

If you want to delete a document and all the documents within its subcollections, you must do so manually. For more information, see Delete Collections.

Delete fields

To delete specific fields from a document, use the following language-specific FieldValue.delete() methods when you update a document:

Web version 9

Use the deleteField() method:

import { doc, updateDoc, deleteField } from "firebase/firestore";

const cityRef = doc(db, 'cities', 'BJ');

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
await updateDoc(cityRef, {
    capital: deleteField()
});
update_delete_field.js

Web version 8

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

var cityRef = db.collection('cities').doc('BJ');

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
var removeCapital = cityRef.update({
    capital: firebase.firestore.FieldValue.delete()
});
test.firestore.js
Swift

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
do {

  try await db.collection("cities").document("BJ").updateData([
    "capital": FieldValue.delete(),
  ])
  print("Document successfully updated")
} catch {
  print("Error updating document: \(error)")
}
ViewController.swift
Objective-C

Use the fieldValueForDelete: method:

Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
[[[self.db collectionWithPath:@"cities"] documentWithPath:@"BJ"] updateData:@{
  @"capital": [FIRFieldValue fieldValueForDelete]
} completion:^(NSError * _Nullable error) {
  if (error != nil) {
    NSLog(@"Error updating document: %@", error);
  } else {
    NSLog(@"Document successfully updated");
  }
}];
ViewController.m
Kotlin
Android

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

val docRef = db.collection("cities").document("BJ")

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
val updates = hashMapOf<String, Any>(
    "capital" to FieldValue.delete(),
)

docRef.update(updates).addOnCompleteListener { }
DocSnippets.kt
Java
Android

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

DocumentReference docRef = db.collection("cities").document("BJ");

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
Map<String,Object> updates = new HashMap<>();
updates.put("capital", FieldValue.delete());

docRef.update(updates).addOnCompleteListener(new OnCompleteListener<Void>() {
    // ...
    // ...
DocSnippets.java

Dart

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

final docRef = db.collection("cities").doc("BJ");

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
final updates = <String, dynamic>{
  "capital": FieldValue.delete(),
};

docRef.update(updates);
firestore.dart
Java

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

DocumentReference docRef = db.collection("cities").document("BJ");
Map<String, Object> updates = new HashMap<>();
updates.put("capital", FieldValue.delete());
// Update and delete the "capital" field in the document
ApiFuture<WriteResult> writeResult = docRef.update(updates);
System.out.println("Update time : " + writeResult.get());
ManageDataSnippets.java
Python

Use the firestore.DELETE_FIELD method:

city_ref = db.collection("cities").document("BJ")
city_ref.update({"capital": firestore.DELETE_FIELD})
snippets.py
Python
(Async)

Use the firestore.DELETE_FIELD method:

city_ref = db.collection("cities").document("BJ")
await city_ref.update({"capital": firestore.DELETE_FIELD})
snippets.py
C++

Use the FieldValue::Delete() method:

DocumentReference doc_ref = db->Collection("cities").Document("BJ");
doc_ref.Update({{"capital", FieldValue::Delete()}})
    .OnCompletion([](const Future<void>& future) { /*...*/ });
snippets.cpp
Node.js

Use the FieldValue.delete() method:

// Create a document reference
const cityRef = db.collection('cities').doc('BJ');

// Remove the 'capital' field from the document
const res = await cityRef.update({
  capital: FieldValue.delete()
});
index.js
Go

Use the firestore.Delete method:


import (
	"context"
	"log"

	"cloud.google.com/go/firestore"
)

func deleteField(ctx context.Context, client *firestore.Client) error {
	_, err := client.Collection("cities").Doc("BJ").Update(ctx, []firestore.Update{
		{
			Path:  "capital",
			Value: firestore.Delete,
		},
	})
	if err != nil {
		// Handle any errors in an appropriate way, such as returning them.
		log.Printf("An error has occurred: %s", err)
	}

	// ...
	return err
}

save_data_delete_field.go
PHP

Use the FieldValue::deleteField() method:

$cityRef = $db->collection('samples/php/cities')->document('BJ');
$cityRef->update([
    ['path' => 'capital', 'value' => FieldValue::deleteField()]
]);
data_delete_field.php
Unity

Use the FieldValue.Delete method:

DocumentReference cityRef = db.Collection("cities").Document("BJ");
Dictionary<string, object> updates = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    { "Capital", FieldValue.Delete }
};
C#

Use the FieldValue.Delete method:

DocumentReference cityRef = db.Collection("cities").Document("BJ");
Dictionary<string, object> updates = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    { "Capital", FieldValue.Delete }
};
await cityRef.UpdateAsync(updates);
Program.cs
Ruby

Use the firestore.field_delete method:

city_ref = firestore.doc "#{collection_path}/BJ"
city_ref.update({ capital: firestore.field_delete })
delete_data.rb

Delete collections

To delete an entire collection or subcollection in Firestore, retrieve (read) all the documents within the collection or subcollection and delete them. This process incurs both read and delete costs. If you have larger collections, you may want to delete the documents in smaller batches to avoid out-of-memory errors. Repeat the process until you've deleted the entire collection or subcollection.

Deleting a collection requires coordinating an unbounded number of individual delete requests. If you need to delete entire collections, do so only from a trusted server environment. While it is possible to delete a collection from a mobile/web client, doing so has negative security and performance implications.

The snippets below are somewhat simplified and do not deal with error handling, security, deleting subcollections, or maximizing performance. To learn more about one recommended approach to deleting collections in production, see Deleting Collections and Subcollections.

Web 
// Deleting collections from a Web client is not recommended.
Swift
Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
// Deleting collections from an Apple client is not recommended.
Objective-C
Note: This product is not available on watchOS and App Clip targets. 
// Deleting collections from an Apple client is not recommended.
Kotlin
Android
// Deleting collections from an Android client is not recommended.
Java
Android
// Deleting collections from an Android client is not recommended.

Dart

Deleting collections from the client is not recommended.

Java
/**
 * Delete a collection in batches to avoid out-of-memory errors. Batch size may be tuned based on
 * document size (atmost 1MB) and application requirements.
 */
void deleteCollection(CollectionReference collection, int batchSize) {
  try {
    // retrieve a small batch of documents to avoid out-of-memory errors
    ApiFuture<QuerySnapshot> future = collection.limit(batchSize).get();
    int deleted = 0;
    // future.get() blocks on document retrieval
    List<QueryDocumentSnapshot> documents = future.get().getDocuments();
    for (QueryDocumentSnapshot document : documents) {
      document.getReference().delete();
      ++deleted;
    }
    if (deleted >= batchSize) {
      // retrieve and delete another batch
      deleteCollection(collection, batchSize);
    }
  } catch (Exception e) {
    System.err.println("Error deleting collection : " + e.getMessage());
  }
}
ManageDataSnippets.java
Python
def delete_collection(coll_ref, batch_size):
    if batch_size == 0:
        return

    docs = coll_ref.list_documents(page_size=batch_size)
    deleted = 0

    for doc in docs:
        print(f"Deleting doc {doc.id} => {doc.get().to_dict()}")
        doc.delete()
        deleted = deleted + 1

    if deleted >= batch_size:
        return delete_collection(coll_ref, batch_size)

snippets.py
Python
(Async)
async def delete_collection(coll_ref, batch_size):
    docs = coll_ref.limit(batch_size).stream()
    deleted = 0

    async for doc in docs:
        print(f"Deleting doc {doc.id} => {doc.to_dict()}")
        await doc.reference.delete()
        deleted = deleted + 1

    if deleted >= batch_size:
        return delete_collection(coll_ref, batch_size)

snippets.py
C++
// This is not supported. Delete data using CLI as discussed below.
Node.js
async function deleteCollection(db, collectionPath, batchSize) {
  const collectionRef = db.collection(collectionPath);
  const query = collectionRef.orderBy('__name__').limit(batchSize);

  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    deleteQueryBatch(db, query, resolve).catch(reject);
  });
}

async function deleteQueryBatch(db, query, resolve) {
  const snapshot = await query.get();

  const batchSize = snapshot.size;
  if (batchSize === 0) {
    // When there are no documents left, we are done
    resolve();
    return;
  }

  // Delete documents in a batch
  const batch = db.batch();
  snapshot.docs.forEach((doc) => {
    batch.delete(doc.ref);
  });
  await batch.commit();

  // Recurse on the next process tick, to avoid
  // exploding the stack.
  process.nextTick(() => {
    deleteQueryBatch(db, query, resolve);
  });
}

index.js
Go

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	"cloud.google.com/go/firestore"
	"google.golang.org/api/iterator"
)

func deleteCollection(w io.Writer, projectID, collectionName string,
	batchSize int) error {

	// Instantiate a client
	ctx := context.Background()
	client, err := firestore.NewClient(ctx, projectID)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	col := client.Collection(collectionName)
	bulkwriter := client.BulkWriter(ctx)

	for {
		// Get a batch of documents
		iter := col.Limit(batchSize).Documents(ctx)
		numDeleted := 0

		// Iterate through the documents, adding
		// a delete operation for each one to the BulkWriter.
		for {
			doc, err := iter.Next()
			if err == iterator.Done {
				break
			}
			if err != nil {
				return err
			}

			bulkwriter.Delete(doc.Ref)
			numDeleted++
		}

		// If there are no documents to delete,
		// the process is over.
		if numDeleted == 0 {
			bulkwriter.End()
			break
		}

		bulkwriter.Flush()
	}
	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Deleted collection \"%s\"", collectionName)
	return nil
}

save_data_delete_collection.go
PHP
function data_delete_collection(string $projectId, string $collectionName, int $batchSize)
{
    // Create the Cloud Firestore client
    $db = new FirestoreClient([
        'projectId' => $projectId,
    ]);
    $collectionReference = $db->collection($collectionName);
    $documents = $collectionReference->limit($batchSize)->documents();
    while (!$documents->isEmpty()) {
        foreach ($documents as $document) {
            printf('Deleting document %s' . PHP_EOL, $document->id());
            $document->reference()->delete();
        }
        $documents = $collectionReference->limit($batchSize)->documents();
    }
}
data_delete_collection.php
Unity
// This is not supported. Delete data using CLI as discussed below.
C#
private static async Task DeleteCollection(CollectionReference collectionReference, int batchSize)
{
    QuerySnapshot snapshot = await collectionReference.Limit(batchSize).GetSnapshotAsync();
    IReadOnlyList<DocumentSnapshot> documents = snapshot.Documents;
    while (documents.Count > 0)
    {
        foreach (DocumentSnapshot document in documents)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Deleting document {0}", document.Id);
            await document.Reference.DeleteAsync();
        }
        snapshot = await collectionReference.Limit(batchSize).GetSnapshotAsync();
        documents = snapshot.Documents;
    }
    Console.WriteLine("Finished deleting all documents from the collection.");
}
Program.cs
Ruby
cities_ref = firestore.col collection_path
query      = cities_ref

query.get do |document_snapshot|
  puts "Deleting document #{document_snapshot.document_id}."
  document_ref = document_snapshot.ref
  document_ref.delete
end
delete_data.rb

Delete data with the Firebase CLI

You can also use the Firebase CLI to delete documents and collections. Use the following command to delete data:

firebase firestore:delete [options] <<path>>

Delete data with the console

You can delete documents and collections from the Firestore page in the console. Deleting a document from the console deletes all of the nested data in that document, including any subcollections.

Delete data with TTL policies

A TTL policy designates a given field as the expiration time for documents in a given collection group. TTL delete operations count towards your document delete costs.

For information about setting TTL, see Manage data retention with TTL policies.

For more information on error codes and how to resolve latency issues when deleting data check out the troubleshooting page.

Delete data with Dataflow

Dataflow is a great tool for bulk operations on your Firestore database. The Firestore connector for Dataflow introduction blog post has an example of deleting all documents in a collection group.

Use managed bulk delete

Firestore supports bulk deleting one or more collection groups. For more information, see Bulk delete data.