Remove Memories Safely

Deleting memories is how you honor compliance requests, undo bad data, or clean up expired sessions. Mem0 lets you delete a specific memory, a list of IDs, or everything that matches a filter.

<Info> **Why it matters** - Satisfies user erasure (GDPR/CCPA) without touching the rest of your data. - Keeps knowledge bases accurate by removing stale or incorrect facts. - Works for both the managed Platform API and the OSS SDK. </Info>

Key terms

memory_id – Unique ID returned by add/search identifying the record to delete.
batch_delete – API call that removes up to 1000 memories in one request.
delete_all – Filter-based deletion by user, agent, run, or metadata.
immutable – Flagged memories that cannot be updated; delete + re-add instead.

How the delete flow works

<Steps> <Step title="Choose the scope"> Decide whether you’re removing a single memory, a list, or everything that matches a filter. </Step> <Step title="Submit the delete call"> Call `delete`, `batch_delete`, or `delete_all` with the required IDs or filters. </Step> <Step title="Verify"> Confirm the response message, then re-run `search` or check the dashboard/logs to ensure the memory is gone. </Step> </Steps>

Delete a single memory (Platform)

<CodeGroup> ```python Python from mem0 import MemoryClient

client = MemoryClient(api_key="your-api-key")

memory_id = "your_memory_id" client.delete(memory_id=memory_id)


```javascript JavaScript
import MemoryClient from 'mem0ai';

const client = new MemoryClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

client.delete("your_memory_id")
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

</CodeGroup> <Info icon="check"> You’ll receive a confirmation payload. The dashboard reflects the removal within seconds. </Info>

Batch delete multiple memories (Platform)

<CodeGroup> ```python Python from mem0 import MemoryClient

client = MemoryClient(api_key="your-api-key")

delete_memories = [ {"memory_id": "id1"}, {"memory_id": "id2"} ]

response = client.batch_delete(delete_memories) print(response)


```javascript JavaScript
import MemoryClient from 'mem0ai';

const client = new MemoryClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

const deleteMemories = [
  { memory_id: "id1" },
  { memory_id: "id2" }
];

client.batchDelete(deleteMemories)
  .then(response => console.log('Batch delete response:', response))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

</CodeGroup>

Delete memories by filter (Platform)

<CodeGroup> ```python Python from mem0 import MemoryClient

client = MemoryClient(api_key="your-api-key")

Delete all memories for a specific user

client.delete_all(user_id="alice")

Delete all memories for a specific agent

client.delete_all(agent_id="support-bot")

Delete all memories for a specific run

client.delete_all(run_id="session-xyz")


```javascript JavaScript
import MemoryClient from 'mem0ai';

const client = new MemoryClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

client.deleteAll({ userId: "alice" })
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

</CodeGroup>

You can also filter by other parameters such as:

agent_id
run_id
metadata (as JSON string)

<Warning> **Breaking change:** `delete_all` previously wiped all project memories when called with no filters. It now **raises an error** if no filters are provided. Use `"*"` wildcards for intentional bulk deletion (see below). </Warning>

Wildcard deletes

Setting a filter to "*" deletes all memories for that entity type across the entire project. This is an intentionally explicit opt-in to bulk deletion.

<CodeGroup> ```python Python from mem0 import MemoryClient

client = MemoryClient(api_key="your-api-key")

Delete all memories across every user in the project

client.delete_all(user_id="*")

Delete all memories across every agent in the project

client.delete_all(agent_id="*")

Full project wipe — all four filters must be explicitly set to "*"

client.delete_all(user_id="", agent_id="", app_id="", run_id="")


```javascript JavaScript
import MemoryClient from 'mem0ai';

const client = new MemoryClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

// Delete all memories across every user in the project
client.deleteAll({ userId: "*" })
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

// Full project wipe — all four filters must be explicitly set to "*"
client.deleteAll({ userId: "*", agentId: "*", appId: "*", runId: "*" })
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

</CodeGroup> <Warning> A full project wipe requires **all four** filters set to `"*"`. Setting only some to `"*"` deletes memories only for those entity types, not the entire project. </Warning>

Delete with Mem0 OSS

<CodeGroup> ```python Python from mem0 import Memory

memory = Memory()

memory.delete(memory_id="mem_123") memory.delete_all(user_id="alice")

</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  The OSS JavaScript SDK does not yet expose deletion helpers—use the REST API or Python SDK when self-hosting.
</Note>

## Use cases recap

- Forget a user’s preferences at their request.
- Remove outdated or incorrect facts before they spread.
- Clean up memories after session expiration or retention deadlines.
- Comply with privacy legislation (GDPR, CCPA) and internal policies.

<Callout type="tip" icon="plug">
  **MCP Alternative**: With <Link href="/platform/mem0-mcp">Mem0 MCP</Link>, AI agents can delete their own memories when data becomes irrelevant or at user request.
</Callout>

## Method comparison

| Method | Use when | IDs required | Filters |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `delete(memory_id)` | You know the exact record | ✔️ | ✖️ |
| `batch_delete([...])` | You have a list of IDs to purge | ✔️ | ✖️ |
| `delete_all(...)` | You need to forget a user/agent/run | ✖️ | ✔️ |

## Put it into practice

- Review the <Link href="/api-reference/memory/delete-memory">Delete Memory API reference</Link>, plus <Link href="/api-reference/memory/batch-delete">Batch Delete</Link> and <Link href="/api-reference/memory/delete-memories">Filtered Delete</Link>.
- Pair deletes with <Link href="/platform/features/platform-overview">Expiration Policies</Link> to automate retention.

## See it live

- <Link href="/cookbooks/operations/support-inbox">Support Inbox with Mem0</Link> demonstrates compliance-driven deletes.
- <Link href="/platform/features/direct-import">Data Management tooling</Link> shows how deletes fit into broader lifecycle flows.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card
    title="Review Add Concepts"
    description="Ensure the memories you keep are structured from the start."
    icon="circle-check"
    href="/core-concepts/memory-operations/add"
  />
  <Card
    title="Enable Expiration Policies"
    description="Automate retention with the platform’s expiration feature."
    icon="clock"
    href="/platform/features/platform-overview"
  />
</CardGroup>