# 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:** 9
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@jamesmarkcook](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jamesmarkcook)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/41 "2016-07-25T17:17:58Z")
Might be quicker to use rails console for this until there is GUI support. Would there be any consequence of running?:
```
Topic.where(category_id: 1).destroy_all
```
I assume this will clean up after itself? @zogstrip @sam
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/42 "2016-07-25T19:12:02Z")
It may take hours or even days to run if the number of topics is large.
---
### Author:  [@FTL\_Ian](https://meta.discourse.org/u/FTL_Ian)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/43 "2016-11-06T21:34:48Z")
I’m really liking discourse so far, but this seems like a basic admin feature that has been overlooked. Another, clunky way to do this is to create some kind of macro that will select, scroll down, select, and so on.
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/44 "2016-11-06T21:51:23Z")
I believe adding basic “select all visible topics” is on @techapj’s plate for this release.
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/45 "2016-11-06T21:53:12Z")
Jeff, can you define “visible”? Is this only what can be seen on screen, or what is loaded at the moment?
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/46 "2016-11-06T21:54:44Z")
Only what is on screen. Otherwise it is a very hard feature to build and it could take hours or even days to run if you “selected” six thousand topics.
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/47 "2016-11-06T21:56:24Z")
Makes sense. Still would be nice to have some way to select all topics in a category, even if a background task like exporting a report.
---
### Author:  [@techAPJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/techAPJ)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/48 "2016-11-18T15:04:17Z")
This is now done ☀
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/9c7b891afdb687e1ceb110ba07e53b805f04bb5d](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/9c7b891afdb687e1ceb110ba07e53b805f04bb5d)
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/batch-delete-topics-in-a-category/12128/49 "2016-11-18T21:50:27Z")
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