# Re-use of \`external\_id\` after a Topic is deleted

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/re-use-of-external-id-after-a-topic-is-deleted/237550
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 30, 2022, 7:20am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/re-use-of-external-id-after-a-topic-is-deleted/237550 "2022-08-30T07:20:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

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### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2022, 10:17am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/re-use-of-external-id-after-a-topic-is-deleted/237550/2 "2022-08-30T10:17:34Z")

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That’s because deleted topics are marked as deleted not removed from the database. Wanting to reassociate an ID with another topic seems like a bad idea (but you didn’t ask). You can force the topic to actually be deleted ([Introducing permanently delete post functionality](https://meta.discourse.org/t/introducing-permanently-delete-post-functionality/207109) might be how).

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/re-use-of-external-id-after-a-topic-is-deleted/237550)._