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title: Enable Bulk API
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locale: en-us
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  - Data Loader Guide
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---

# Enable Bulk API

Bulk API is optimized to load or delete a large number of records asynchronously. It’s faster than the SOAP-based API due to parallel processing and fewer network round-trips. By default, Data Loader uses the SOAP-based API to process records.

To configure Data Loader to use Bulk API for inserting, updating, upserting, deleting, and hard deleting records:

1.  To start Data Loader, double-click the Data Loader icon on your Desktop or in your Applications folder.
2.  Choose **Settings** | **Settings**.
3.  Select the `Use Bulk API` option.
4.  Click **OK**.

**note:** -   You can also select the `Enable serial mode for Bulk API` option. Processing in parallel can cause database contention. When contention is severe, the load can fail. Serial mode processes batches one at a time, however it can increase the processing time for a load.
-   Caution: You can hard delete records when you configure Data Loader to `Use Bulk API`. Keep in mind that hard-deleted records are immediately deleted and can’t be recovered from the Recycle Bin.