Product Deletion Restrictions and Reasons for Deletion Rejection

The system lets you delete one product, several products, or all products at once from the products list. Before deleting each product, the system checks that it isn’t used in any transaction, because deleting a product linked to invoices or stock movements corrupts these records. This guide explains the deletion steps, the conditions that prevent a product from being deleted, what to do if the deletion is rejected, and the alternative when deletion isn’t possible.

Before You Start

• To delete any product you need the permission to edit and delete all products. The permission to edit and delete own products allows deleting only the products the user created, and doesn’t allow bulk deletion. Permissions are set from Manage Employee Permissions.
• When branches are enabled and products are not shared between them, you delete only the current branch’s products.
• Export a copy of the products: from the products list, select the products and choose Export from the actions.

Steps to Delete One Product

1. Open the product from the products list.
2. From the actions bar, click the Delete button.
3. In the confirmation message, click Yes.
4. The follow-up page appears with the result of the deletion, or the reason it was rejected.

Steps to Delete Several Products or All Products

1. Open the products list. To delete a specific group (such as a category or a brand), filter the list first.
2. From the selection menu, choose: All (Current Page) to select the page’s products, or All (All Pages) to select all the products that match the filter. You can then deselect specific products.
3. From the actions, choose Delete.
4. Confirm continuing with the action, then click Yes in the confirmation message.
5. The bulk product deletion page opens, and each product is deleted individually with a success or failure mark and the reason for failure.
6. Wait until the process completes and the result appears: deleted successfully, or deleted with some items that failed to delete.

How the System Works

• The system checks each product independently; the products allowed to be deleted are deleted, and the rejected ones remain with the reason stated.
• Deletion is permanent, and includes: the product’s prices in price lists, the bundle components if it is a bundle product, the units’ additional barcodes, the sales account assigned to the product, the additional fields, the tags, the attachments, and low-stock alerts.
• The deletion is recorded in the activity log.

Validation Rules

The system rejects deleting the product in the following cases:

Case	The Message That Appears
The product is used in any sales transaction: an invoice, quotation, sales order, refund invoice, credit note, debit note, advance payment, subscription, or booking; even if the document is in the trash.	You cannot delete the items because they are specified in the transaction, with a link to the transaction or the trash.
The product tracks stock and has any stock movement (purchase, stock requisition, transfer, point of sale, manufacturing…) or a stocktaking sheet.	This product has transactions or stocktakings; you can only deactivate it, not delete it.
The product is used in a purchase request, quotation request, purchase quotation, purchase order, or purchase invoice (with the purchase cycle app), including the purchases trash.	You cannot delete the items because they are specified in …
The product is in a bill of materials or a production plan (with the manufacturing app).	You cannot delete the item because it is specified in …
The product is in a stock request.	You cannot delete the item because it is specified in a stock request.
The service is specified as the cash on delivery fee in the shipping and delivery settings.	You cannot delete the service that has already been specified in the cash on delivery fee settings.
The product or its category is used in a commission rule.	You cannot delete the item or category because it is already in use in a commission rule.
The service is linked to a package (the credits app).	You cannot delete this service because it is linked to a package.
The service is the default service in the bookings system, or is used in a booking package.	You cannot delete or suspend the service because it was selected as the default service in the bookings system.
The work item is used in templates, cost sheets, or quotations (the construction app).	You cannot delete … this item is used in templates or cost sheets.
The user doesn’t have the delete permission, or the product wasn’t created by them (with the own permission).	You are not allowed to delete this product.
More than 5,000 products are selected.	You cannot delete more than 5,000 products at once.

What to Do If Product Deletion Is Rejected

The Recommended Alternative: Suspend the Product Instead of Deleting It

A product used in transactions cannot be deleted in order to preserve the correctness of invoices, stock, and reports. Instead, change its status, so it disappears from the sales and purchase screens and stays in the previous records:

1. From the products list, select the products (or All (All Pages)).
2. From the actions, choose Deactivate to make them inactive, or suspended.
3. Confirm the action, and follow the result on the bulk edit page.

A service specified as the cash on delivery fee or as the default booking service cannot be suspended or deactivated; change the setting first.

If Deletion Is Necessary

• The product is specified in sales or purchase transactions: delete the linked transactions from the invoices or purchase invoices, then delete them permanently from the trash; the record in the trash still prevents the product from being deleted. This requires the permission to manage deleted sales or purchase transactions.
• The product is specified in a purchase request, purchase order, bill of materials, production plan, or stock request: remove the product from this transaction or delete the transaction itself.
• The product has stock movements or stocktaking: all the requisitions, movements, and stocktaking sheets linked to it must be deleted. Settling the balance to zero isn’t enough, because the settlement itself is a new stock movement.
• The product is in a commission rule, a package, or a setting: remove it from the rule or the package, or change the setting (the cash on delivery fee, the default booking service).

Retry the deletion.

Deleting All Products to Start Over

The system has no option to reset the account or delete all data at once. If you entered test products and want to delete them all:

1. Make sure there are no invoices or stock movements on them, or delete those test transactions first and then empty the trash.
2. From the products list, choose All (All Pages) then Actions → Delete, in batches of no more than 5,000 products.
3. Review the result, and handle the products that failed to delete according to the reason for each.

Frequently Asked Questions

• I deleted the invoice and the product still can’t be deleted. Why? Because the invoice is still in the trash; delete it permanently from the trash.
• I made the product’s balance zero. Why can’t it be deleted? Because any previous stock movement prevents deletion, even if the balance is zero. Suspend the product instead of deleting it.
• Can I restore a deleted product? No, deletion is permanent. Re-add it or import it from the export file.
• Why doesn’t the bulk delete option appear? Because your permission is only “Edit & Delete Own Products”; bulk deletion requires “Edit & Delete All Products.”
• What’s the difference between inactive and suspended? Both statuses hide the product from the sales and purchase screens and keep it in the records; and it can be reactivated at any time.
• Why were some products deleted and some failed? Because the system checks each product independently; review the reason for failure next to each product on the result page.
• Can a product that is a component of a bundle product be deleted? The system doesn’t check that directly, so review your bundles before deleting their components so that an incomplete bundle doesn’t remain.