> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.veridox.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Delete File > Permanently erase a file and everything produced from it. Permanently deletes a file, along with its analysis, its reports, and every conversation that used it, including file comparisons. You can delete a file that is live or already archived. A successful call returns `204 No Content`. > [!NOTE] > > This endpoint requires the permanent file deletion feature to be enabled for your organisation. Without it, the API returns `403` with `request.organisations.feature-flag.not-enabled`. [Learn more](/guides/feature-modules.md). > [!WARNING] > > Deletion is **irreversible**; there is no restore endpoint. Confirm the action before calling this endpoint. ## Permission Requires `organisation_files:purge`, which the Owner role holds by default. A caller without it receives `403` with `request.cases.case-file.action-not-permitted`. To delete a file you did not upload, you also need `organisation_files:read`; otherwise the API returns `404`. An API key never counts as the uploader of a file, so it always needs both permissions. A key granted `organisation_files:purge` is treated as also holding `organisation_files:read`, so purge alone is enough. ## Archive or Delete | | [Archive File](/api-reference/endpoints/files-archive.md) | Delete File | | - | - | - | | Permission | `organisation_files:delete` | `organisation_files:purge` | | Effect | Hides the file from all live API responses | Erases the file and everything produced from it | | File data, analysis, and conversations | Kept | Erased | | Reversible | No | No | Archive a file to remove it from view and keep its data. Delete it when the data itself must be erased. If the same document was uploaded more than once, its uploads can share some analysis outputs, such as reports. A shared output is erased when the last file that uses it is deleted. ## Best Practices 1. **Wait for processing to finish**: A file can only be deleted once its analysis has finished. Deleting it earlier returns `409 Conflict` with `request.cases.case-file.not-ready-for-deletion`; try again shortly. 2. **Call again after a `502`**: If the API cannot erase every stored copy, it returns `502` with `request.cases.case-file.delete-failed`. The file is already hidden and cannot be used again. Call the endpoint again to finish deleting it. 3. **Treat `404` after a retry as done**: Once a deletion has completed, further calls return `404 Not Found`. ## Audit Log Each deletion is recorded in your organisation's audit log as `file.deleted`, with the file ID, the case, and the conversations that were deleted. The file name is not recorded. ## Related * [Archive File](/api-reference/endpoints/files-archive.md) hides a file and keeps its data. * [Case Management](/guides/case-management.md#permanently-deleting-a-file) covers deletion in context. ## OpenAPI ````yaml DELETE /cases/{caseId}/files/{fileId} openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: Veridox Core API description: Veridox Core Platform API version: 0.0.1 contact: {} servers: - url: https://api.uk.veridox.ai description: Live (UK) - url: https://api.ca.veridox.ai description: Live (CA) security: [] tags: - name: Status description: System status and health check endpoints - name: Cases description: Case and case file management - name: Organisations description: Organisation management - name: Document Requests description: Document request management - name: Search description: Search functionality - name: Admin description: Administrative endpoints paths: /cases/{caseId}/files/{fileId}: delete: tags: - Case Files summary: Permanently delete a file description: >- Permanently deletes a file: every stored version of it and of its analysis outputs, its database record, and every conversation that used it, including file comparisons. Outputs another file still uses through the analysis cache (an upload of the same document) are kept until that file is deleted. This cannot be undone. Requires organisation_files:purge (archive is organisation_files:delete); a non-owned file additionally requires organisation_files:read. Live and archived files can be deleted once analysis has finished. If storage cannot be cleared the request returns 502 and the file stays hidden; calling again finishes the deletion. operationId: CaseFilesController_deleteFile parameters: - name: fileId required: true in: path description: File ID schema: type: string - name: caseId required: true in: path description: Case ID schema: type: string responses: '204': description: File permanently deleted '400': description: Invalid caseId or fileId (must be a valid UUID) content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '401': description: Unauthorized (invalid or missing authentication token) content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '403': description: Caller lacks organisation_files:purge, or the feature is not enabled content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '404': description: >- File not found, does not belong to this organisation, or caller lacks reach to it content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '409': description: Analysis has not finished yet content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '429': description: Too many requests (rate limit exceeded) content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' '502': description: >- Stored objects could not be removed; the file is hidden and a retry finishes it content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorDto' security: - api-key: [] components: schemas: ErrorDto: type: object properties: error_code: type: string description: Machine-readable error code for programmatic handling examples: - request.cases.file.missing-risk-score - request.authentication.invalid-token - request.forbidden - request.cases.case.not-found - request.cases.case.already-locked error_message: type: string description: Human-readable error message explaining what went wrong example: >- User tried to perform an invalid operation on a file without a risk score. error_details: type: object example: field: email_address required: - error_code - error_message securitySchemes: api-key: type: apiKey in: header name: x-api-key ```` This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.