# Soft-delete override?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 7, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320 "2025-03-07T17:22:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shoq](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Shoq)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320/1 "2025-03-07T17:22:55Z")
Is there any way an admin can override soft-deletes on a case-by-case basis, or is setting Permanent deletes in the console our only option (server admin is on holiday)
We’re prototyping and the pink remnants are distracting.
TIA
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### Author:  [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320/3 "2025-03-07T19:23:00Z")
Hello Shoq,
Is this what you’re looking for?
> [@Introducing permanently delete post functionality](https://meta.discourse.org/t/introducing-permanently-delete-post-functionality/207109):
>
> When a post is deleted in Discourse, we perform a soft-delete. This means that post is still present in the database in case an administrator wants to recover it later. A soft-delete is not sufficient when the deleted post contains sensitive information and must be pruned from the database completely. For those situations, we are introducing the ability to permanently delete a post. To use this feature, enable the can permanently delete setting. However, please be aware of the risks i…
> [@Enable setting to allow admins to permanently delete data](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-setting-to-allow-admins-to-permanently-delete-data/206678):
>
> bookmark This is a guide on how to enable the setting for administrators to permanently delete data on a Discourse instance. person_raising_hand Required user level: Admin As of [v2026.4.0 Changelog | Discourse Releases](https://releases.discourse.org/changelog/v2026.4.0/?filter=permanently_delete&tab=feature) the site setting to allow admins to permanently delete data is no longer a hidden site setting. To use this feature, enable the can permanently delete setting. However, please be aware of the risks involved with this feature — as the setting name suggests, if you permanen…
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### Author:  [@Shoq](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Shoq)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320/4 "2025-03-07T21:12:09Z")
Thank you, but no. That requires Console access which I don’t have until my server admin returns on Monday. I was hoping to find another way.
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### Author:  [@Canapin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Canapin)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320/5 "2025-03-07T21:45:20Z")
What remnants are you talking about? Can you post a screenshot?
If it’s this (tho it’s not pink):
This can be hidden with CSS if you have access to themes:
```scss
.gap {
display: none;
}
```
I don’t know if there are side effects.
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### Author:  [@Shoq](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Shoq)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/soft-delete-override/356320/6 "2025-03-07T23:34:39Z")
Figured it out. The “Permanently Delete” is under a different wrench menu than what I was looking at. The entities are confusing for we newbies sometimes. I have lots of that. Thank you for the assistance 🙂