FAQ: Is it possible to batch delete features in ArcGIS Online?

Question

Is it possible to batch delete features in ArcGIS Online?

Answer

It is not possible to delete multiple features at once through the user interface in ArcGIS Online. This is by design.

However, there is an alternative of doing so from the REST URL. Features in a service can be edited using supported operations from the ArcGIS REST API, which accesses the underlying framework of ArcGIS Online. These supported editing operations include Create, Update, and Delete functions. Users can do batch deletion using Delete Features by the Object IDs.

To delete multiple features from a hosted feature service using the ArcGIS REST API, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to www.arcgis.com with administrator credentials.
2. Click My Content, navigate to the intended feature service, and open the feature service.
3. In the item details page of the feature service, click the hyperlink under Layers. The ArcGIS REST Services Directory page opens.
4. In the ArcGIS REST Service Directory, scroll down to the Supported Operations, and click Delete Feature. Note that this option is only available if editing has been enabled for the feature service.
5. Enter the Object IDs of the intended features to be deleted, separated by a comma and space; for example, Object IDs: 3, 5, 258, 6988 ... and so forth.

6. Click Delete Features.

There is another alternative to delete multiple records in a feature service using ArcREST. The following link is a sample of Python script to delete rows from a layer: delete_rows_from_service.py.

Related Information

• ArcGIS REST API: Delete Features
• ArcGIS REST API: Apply Edits (Feature Service\Layer)
• GeoNet: How to select and delete multiple features in a hosted service?