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Anchor to fileDelete

fileDelete

mutation

Requires write_files access scope. Also: Users must have delete files permissions.

Deletes file assets that were previously uploaded to your store.

Use the fileDelete mutation to permanently remove media and file assets from your store when they are no longer needed. This mutation handles the complete removal of files from both your store's file library and any associated references to products or other resources.

The fileDelete mutation supports removal of multiple file types:

  • Images: Product photos, variant images, and general store imagery
  • Videos: Shopify-hosted videos for product demonstrations and marketing content
  • External Videos: YouTube and Vimeo videos linked to your products
  • 3D models: Interactive 3D representations of products
  • Generic files: PDFs, documents, and other file types stored in your Files page

When you delete files that are referenced by products, the mutation automatically removes those references and reorders any remaining media to maintain proper positioning. Product file references are database relationships managed through a media reference system, not just links in product descriptions. The Shopify admin provides a UI to manage these relationships, and when files are deleted, the system automatically cleans up all references. Files that are currently being processed by other operations are rejected to prevent conflicts.

Caution

File deletion is permanent and can't be undone. When you delete a file that's being used in your store, it will immediately stop appearing wherever it was displayed. For example, if you delete a product image, that product will show a broken image or placeholder on your storefront and in the admin. The same applies to any other files linked from themes, blog posts, or pages. Before deleting files, you can use the files query to list and review your store's file assets.

Learn how to manage product media and file assets in your app.

Anchor to Arguments

Arguments

Anchor to fileIdsfileIds
•[ID!]!
required

The IDs of the files to be deleted.

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Anchor to FileDeletePayload returnsFileDeletePayload returns

Anchor to deletedFileIdsdeletedFileIds
•[ID!]

The IDs of the deleted files.

Anchor to userErrorsuserErrors
•[FilesUserError!]!
non-null

The list of errors that occurred from executing the mutation.

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