lancedb/docs/web/ingestion/delete.mdx

---
title: "Delete rows"
sidebarTitle: "Delete"
description: "Select and delete records, verify the remaining rows, and understand storage retention."
icon: trash
availability:
  oss: available
  enterprise: available
  summary: >-
    Delete rows through the SDKs in LanceDB Embedded and LanceDB Enterprise. Storage reclamation follows compaction and retention policy.
---

import { RsExample as RsDeleteRows } from '/snippets/ingestion_delete.mdx';
import { TsDeleteRowsBody, TsDeleteRowsTail } from '/snippets/ingestion_examples.mdx';
import { PyDeleteRows } from '/snippets/ingestion_examples.mdx';
import { PyWriteWorkflow, TsWriteWorkflowBody, TsWriteWorkflowTail, RsWriteWorkflow } from '/snippets/ingestion_examples.mdx';

Deleting rows removes matching records from the current table contents. It
keeps the table and schema so you can continue reading and writing. To remove
the table itself, see [Drop a table](/ingestion/create-table#drop-a-table).

## Inspect the rows you intend to delete {#select-rows}

Use the same predicate for inspection and deletion. The example below creates
Alice, Bob and Charlie, prints Charlie's row, and deletes it by `id = 3`.
Inspection and deletion are separate operations; concurrent writes can change
which rows match between them.

## Delete matching records {#delete-rows}

Each program creates Alice, Bob and Charlie in a temporary local database,
deletes Charlie, and prints the remaining rows: **Alice and Bob**. The temporary
database is removed when the program finishes.

- **Python:** install `lancedb`, save the code as `delete_rows.py`, and run
  `python delete_rows.py`.
- **TypeScript:** install `@lancedb/lancedb`, save the code as `delete_rows.mts`,
  and run `node delete_rows.mts` with Node.js 22.18 or later.
- **Rust:** download the [Rust examples](/static/code/ingestion-feedback-rust.zip),
  extract the project, and run `cargo run --locked --bin delete`.

<CodeGroup>
<CodeBlock filename="Python" language="python" icon="python">
{PyDeleteRows}
</CodeBlock>
<CodeBlock filename="TypeScript" language="typescript" icon="square-js">
{TsDeleteRowsBody}
{TsDeleteRowsTail}
</CodeBlock>
<CodeBlock filename="Rust" language="rust" icon="rust">
{RsDeleteRows}
</CodeBlock>
</CodeGroup>

Enterprise also supports [`DELETE`](/sql/dml/delete).

## Verify that the rows are absent {#verify}

Query the same predicate after deletion and check the remaining row count.
A reader still using an older snapshot may see the earlier contents; see
[Consistency](/tables/consistency).

Deleted rows are excluded from current query results, including indexed
searches. Deletion does not imply immediate physical erasure of every stored
copy of the data.

## Understand storage reclamation {#storage}

Compaction rewrites the live data layout; cleanup removes eligible retained
versions and files. Retained history can continue to reference data that no
longer appears in the latest table version.

In LanceDB Embedded, `optimize()` provides maintenance operations. In Enterprise, managed
maintenance and retention follow the service configuration. Choose retention
according to the history you need, rather than shortening it as part of a
routine delete example. See [Compaction](/maintenance/compaction) and
[Cleanup](/maintenance/cleanup) for the separate maintenance workflow.

## Complete write workflow {#complete-example}

<Accordion title="Complete examples: create, append, update, upsert and delete">

Each program creates a temporary local database, performs the five operations,
prints the result, and removes its temporary data when finished.

- **Python:** install `lancedb`, save the code as `ingestion.py`, and run
  `python ingestion.py`.
- **TypeScript:** install `@lancedb/lancedb`, save the code as `ingestion.mts`,
  and run `node ingestion.mts` with Node.js 22.18 or later.
- **Rust:** download the [complete Rust project](/static/code/ingestion-rust.zip),
  extract it, and run `cargo run --locked`. It includes `src/main.rs`, the Cargo
  manifest and a lockfile for the example's dependencies. The code is shown below.

<CodeGroup>
<CodeBlock filename="ingestion.py" language="python" icon="python">
{PyWriteWorkflow}
</CodeBlock>
<CodeBlock filename="ingestion.mts" language="typescript" icon="square-js">
{TsWriteWorkflowBody}
{TsWriteWorkflowTail}
</CodeBlock>
<CodeBlock filename="src/main.rs" language="rust" icon="rust">
{RsWriteWorkflow}
</CodeBlock>
</CodeGroup>

After the operations, Alice has 10 logins, Bobby has 21, and Charlie has 6.
Dana is selected for deletion and is absent from the final result.

</Accordion>