Frequently asked question

Why does it take so long to delete fields from a file geodatabase or a shapefile?

Last Published: April 25, 2020
Deleting fields from a geodatabase or a shapefile takes a long time, because the entire file needs to be rewritten one record at a time without the deleted field(s).

There is currently no way to do this more quickly.

Article ID: 000009659

Software:
  • ArcMap

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