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How to Delete Volumes

Validated on 2 Oct 2019 • Last edited on 18 Dec 2024

Volumes are network-based block devices that provide additional data storage for Droplets. You can move them between Droplets, create disk images of them, and resize them at any time.

To remove a volume from a Droplet, you can either detach the volume or delete the volume.

Detaching a volume removes the volume from its current Droplet. You can attach the volume and all of its contents to a different Droplet as needed.
Deleting a volume permanently destroys the volume and its contents. This action cannot be reversed.

Delete a Volume Using Automation

Before deleting a volume, unmount it to prevent data loss.

How to Delete a Volume Using the DigitalOcean CLI

Install doctl, the official DigitalOcean CLI.
Create a personal access token and save it for use with doctl.
Use the token to grant doctl access to your DigitalOcean account.
```
doctl auth init
```
Finally, run doctl compute volume delete. Basic usage looks like this, but you can read the usage docs for more details:
```
doctl compute volume delete <volume-id> [flags]
```
The following example deletes a volume with the UUID f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6:
```
doctl compute volume delete f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6
```

How to Delete a Volume Using the DigitalOcean API

Create a personal access token and save it for use with the API.
Send a DELETE request to https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/volumes/{volume_id}.

cURL

Using cURL:

curl -X DELETE \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/volumes/7724db7c-e098-11e5-b522-000f53304e51"

Go

Using Godo, the official DigitalOcean API client for Go:

import (
    "context"
    "os"

    "github.com/digitalocean/godo"
)

func main() {
    token := os.Getenv("DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN")

    client := godo.NewFromToken(token)
    ctx := context.TODO()

    _, err := client.Storage.DeleteVolume(ctx, "7724db7c-e098-11e5-b522-000f53304e51")
}

Ruby

Using DropletKit, the official DigitalOcean API client for Ruby:

require 'droplet_kit'
token = ENV['DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN']
client = DropletKit::Client.new(access_token: token)

client.volumes.delete(id: '7724db7c-e098-11e5-b522-000f53304e51')

Python

Using PyDo, the official DigitalOcean API client for Python:

import os
from pydo import Client

client = Client(token=os.environ.get("DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN"))

resp = client.volumes.delete(volume_id="7724db7c")

Delete a Volume Using the Control Panel

Before deleting a volume, unmount it to prevent data loss.

You can delete a volume from the volume’s More menu, which is available on the account-level Volumes page.

When you select Delete, a window to confirm the deletion opens.

Warning

When you delete a volume, the volume and its contents are deleted. This action is irreversible.

Click Confirm to delete the volume.