---
schema_version: "1"
id: f1c302fd6f4b6642019d2423abf45328addeef75cbc5a9007f05e49552399b02
title: Delete Custom Objects
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/dev_deleting_custom_objects.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dev_deleting_custom_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 7cb16aa245126ff3eed3f98bb2cc17112477db6dfa2082f9899780ac79382815
description: When you delete a custom object, Salesforce doesn’t add it to the Recycle Bin. Instead, deleted objects appear in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days. During this time, the object and its data are soft deleted, meaning you can restore or permanently erase (hard delete) the object and its data. After 15 days, the object and its data are automatically hard deleted.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Delete Custom Objects

When you delete a custom object, Salesforce doesn’t add it to the Recycle Bin. Instead, deleted objects appear in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days. During this time, the object and its data are soft deleted, meaning you can restore or permanently erase (hard delete) the object and its data. After 15 days, the object and its data are automatically hard deleted.

### Required Editions

![Important](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/images/icon_important.png)

Important Where possible, we changed noninclusive terms to align with our company value of Equality. We maintained certain terms to avoid any effect on customer implementations.

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Salesforce Classic</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Contact Manager</strong>, <strong>Group</strong>, <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, <strong>Developer</strong>, and <strong>Database.com</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d114376e88">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d114376e88 ">To delete custom objects:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d114376e88 ">
              <p>Customize Application</p>
              <p>AND</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">View All Data</p>
            </td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

Soft-deleted custom objects and their data count against your org’s limits but hard-deleted items don’t.

To delete a custom object:

1. From the object management settings for custom objects, click **Del** next to the object that you want to delete.
2. When prompted, select **Yes, I want to delete the custom object** to confirm, and click **Delete**.

You can’t delete a custom object if it:

- Is on the master side of a master-detail relationship
- Contains custom fields that are used in a roll-up summary field on another object
- Is referenced in Apex, a Visualforce page, or a reporting snapshot
- Is referenced by a duplicate rule or a matching rule
- Contains more than 100,000 records. If the object that you want to delete has more than 100,000 records, delete an appropriate number of records first, and then delete the object.

When you delete a custom object, Salesforce:

- Displays an Insufficient Privileges message if someone clicks a bookmark to a deleted custom object record’s URL
- Removes the object from AppExchange packages
- Changes the master-detail relationship to a lookup relationship if the deleted object is on the detail side of a master-detail relationship
- Removes or erases:
    - The object’s custom tab
    - List views and workflow rules for the object
    - Mobile configuration settings including datasets, mobile views, and excluded fields
    - Standard report types associated with the object, and reports based on standard report types if the deleted object is on the detail side of a master-detail relationship
- Hides, inactivates, or disables:
    - The custom object definition and related definitions
    - The object’s records and related records, including any records in the Recycle Bin
    - Custom report types where the deleted object is the main object
    - Custom reports where the deleted object is the main object
    - Custom formula fields on the object
    - Custom validation rules and approval processes on the object

To restore removed, hidden, inactive, or disabled items, you can undelete the custom object. See [Manage Deleted Custom Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dev_managing_deleted_custom_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Deleted custom objects appear in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days. During this time, you can choose to permanently delete the object and its data, or you can undelete them. If you undelete a custom object, some manual cleanup can be required to restore list views and other customizations that use the object.") for information about restoring deleted custom objects.

#### See Also

- [Manage Deleted Custom Objects](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dev_managing_deleted_custom_objects.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Deleted custom objects appear in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days. During this time, you can choose to permanently delete the object and its data, or you can undelete them. If you undelete a custom object, some manual cleanup can be required to restore list views and other customizations that use the object.")
- [Find Object Management Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.extend_click_find_objectmgmt_parent.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce lets you personalize your object model with features like custom fields, page layouts, and validation rules. Depending on which experience of Salesforce you have enabled, these customizations are located in different areas of Setup.")
- [Delete a Big Object](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.custom_bo_delete.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When you delete a custom big object, Salesforce doesn’t add it to the Recycle Bin. Instead, deleted big objects appear in the Deleted Objects list for 15 days. During this time, the big object and its data are soft deleted, meaning you can restore or permanently erase (flag for hard delete) the big object and its data. After 15 days, the big object and its data are automatically flagged for hard delete.")