# Batch Delete topics in a category?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128
**Category:** Feature
**Tags:** bulk-actions
**Created:** [January 22, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128 "2014-01-22T19:27:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Mitch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mitch)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/21 "2014-12-19T23:32:23Z")
That was it, it was hidden behind the “activity” column/row text. My $.02 the wrench should go on the left, as that is where I was selecting the check boxes so I’m already looking in that part of the screen.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/22 "2014-12-19T23:33:41Z")
> [@Mitch](#):
>
> That was it, it was hidden behind the “activity” column/row text.
Screenshot please, as I’d like to know what text you are referring to.
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### Author:  [@Mitch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mitch)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/23 "2014-12-19T23:37:44Z")
you can see the wrench is half showing half hidden on the right side of the screen
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/24 "2014-12-19T23:38:50Z")
@awesomerobot, is this a regression? As on our “old” instance, it doesn’t do that. It sits on top of the column headings.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/25 "2014-12-19T23:47:25Z")
> [@Mitch](#):
>
> you can see the wrench is half showing half hidden on the right side of the screen
To me it looks like the wrench is showing complete - but - only the right half of it has the darker background
\*lines up with the edge of the table rows below it.
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### Author:  [@Mitch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mitch)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/26 "2014-12-19T23:57:32Z")
In this grab I made my browser window smaller, if you look carefully you can see the wrench behind the word 
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/27 "2014-12-20T00:03:08Z")
Hmmm, is actually behind it? That is, if you click on the wrench you get Activity sorting instead of the modal?
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/28 "2014-12-20T00:05:48Z")
Yes. That is correct, it is behind it (just proved it on my installation).
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### Author:  [@JSey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JSey)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/29 "2015-10-02T17:44:18Z")
Really sorry to go necro on this one, but the OP mentioned:
> [@sschafft](#):
>
> How feasible would it be to have a “select all”…
…are there any plans for that one currently? I have an old category I’d like to get rid of, which has 909 topics and I don’t really feel like clicking them all…
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 6:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/30 "2015-10-04T06:21:51Z")
As a workaround you can use the search to search for all the topics in that category and then you can use the select all button 😉
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### Author:  [@JSey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JSey)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/31 "2015-10-04T12:46:49Z")
Nice one. Follow-up question: can I raise the limit of 50 posts per search results page? For 900+ topics to be deleted, this is a major PITA factor… 😉
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/32 "2015-11-05T05:45:09Z")
I too would like to follow up on this. Currently going through a category with \>2000 threads, attempting to re-categorize all threads that have not been modified within the last 3 months (last edit August 31 or earlier). Currently I am clicking on hundreds of check boxes to do this, would be nice to click on one check box, hold shift and then click on “last” checkbox, with discourse checking all boxes in between. Otherwise a major reorganization like this is a nightmare!
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/33 "2015-11-05T12:14:16Z")
May be easier to do it from the Ruby Console… just a thought.
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### Author:  [@aoredo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/aoredo)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/34 "2015-12-28T00:00:15Z")
Did you by any chance get an easier way to do this? i.e Ruby Console? Thanks
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/35 "2015-12-28T00:02:02Z")
No, sorry. I never got any information on this, ended up clicking every checkbox by hand…
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### Author:  [@aoredo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/aoredo)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/36 "2015-12-28T00:05:56Z")
WOW! I have over 6K topics to delete. I guess I better get going manually deleting them ☹ Thanks a lot anyway.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/37 "2015-12-28T00:10:10Z")
If this is your own install, you can delete topics from the interactive Ruby console if you SSH into your server and enter the docker container.
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### Author:  [@aoredo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/aoredo)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/38 "2016-01-04T02:17:39Z")
@codinghorror - thanks for this- Yes it’s my installation. Is there a guide you can point me to? Or is there a sample Model query that I can use in the irb console?
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### Author:  [@Rodelio\_Lagahit](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Rodelio_Lagahit)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2016, 9:12am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/39 "2016-05-01T09:12:10Z")
any update on this mass/batch delete categories feature?
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### Author:  [@plyoung](https://meta.discourse.org/u/plyoung)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/40 "2016-06-20T13:26:42Z")
Thanks for the tip on using search. Can’t believe there is no way to delete a whole category if it is not empty or mass select posts for deletion.
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