How to Bulk Delete Records in Dynamics 365 (CRM)

Sometimes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM users accidentally import records that shouldn’t be in the system.

Fortunately, there are 3 methods to remove the unwanted records. Each is best suited for a certain situation:

• Advanced Find: Useful if all the records you want to delete are from the same entity (such as Accounts, Contacts, or Leads). Read steps.
• Bulk Record Deletion Wizard: Useful if you have thousands of records to delete at a time. You can use a saved Advanced Find view. Read steps.
• Delete Imported Records: Best suited for scenarios where all the records you want to delete are from the same data import. This method only works if the import source file has not been deleted. Read steps.

Below, you’ll find the step-by-step instructions for each of the three methods. You will need deletion privileges.

Note: There are now 5 different Dynamics 365 apps that serve various CRM needs. In some contexts, you may also see those products referred to as “Customer Engagement” or “CE” apps. The bulk delete methods described here will work no matter which of those apps you’re using.

Bulk Delete Dynamics CRM Records via Advanced Find

1. Click on the Advanced Find “filter” button. If you do not see this button, you can do Advanced Find from within the big search box in the top right. You can perform this action from any page in the system. You can also read detailed instructions on Advanced Find.
2. Select the desired entity in the Look For dropdown menu inside the Advanced Find window. In this example, I will select Leads.
3. Add your filters. Click on Select and choose the desired field. In this example, I will select the “Created On” field.
4. Select the desired value to be applied to the filter. In this example, I am looking for all leads created on June 10, 2020.
5. Click on the Results button.
6. Select the Leads that you wish to delete. You can also select them all. Then, click on Delete Lead.
7. Microsoft Dynamics 365 will ask you to confirm the deletion before proceeding. Click on Delete to confirm.

Bonus Tip: How to See More Records in Advanced Find & Views

You can use this method to delete even more records in less time.

1. Click on the Settings icon located on the top-right of your screen.
2. Click on Personalization Settings.
3. Find the Records per Page field. Select a value of your choice. In this example, I selected 250 records per page. Click on OK to save your settings.

Once you are done, you can select up to 250 records at a time using the Advanced Find method.

Note: Make sure that you want to delete all 250 records in Advanced Find or a view!

Dynamics 365 Bulk Record Deletion Wizard

1. Click on the Settings icon located on the top-right of your screen.
2. Select Advanced Settings.
3. Click on the down arrow next to settings in the Advanced Settings tab. Then select Data Management.
4. Select Bulk Record Deletion.
5. Click on New to create a new bulk record deletion job.
6. The Bulk Deletion Wizard pop-up window will appear. Click on Next to continue.
7. Define your search criteria. Select your filters based on record type and field values in the Advanced Find embedded in the wizard. Click on Next to continue.
8. Select your bulk delete options, including when to run the job, if you want the job to run at a pre-specified interval, and to notify users via email when the job is done. Once your options are selected, click on Next.
9. Verify the details of your job. Once everything has been verified, click on Submit.
10. You will be able to see the bulk deletion job once it is processing and after it has been completed.

Delete Imported Records

1. Click on the Settings icon located on the top-right of your screen.
2. Select Advanced Settings.
3. Click on the down arrow next to settings in the Advanced Settings tab, and select Data Management.
4. Select Imports.
5. Double click to open the import job that contains the data that you want to delete.
6. Click on the down arrow next to the Delete button and select Delete Imported Records.
7. The system will ask you to confirm the deletion of these records. Click on Confirm to proceed.

If you are deleting so many records that you need to use the Deletion Wizard or the Delete Imported Records options, you may have to wait an hour or more for them to finish, depending on your system resources.

If you found this handy, you may also be interested in reading how to use Advanced Find or our many other Dynamics 365 CRM blog articles.

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