---
title: "Delete an email template"
method: DELETE
path: "/v1/email/templates/{template_ref}"
tags: ["email-templates"]
---

# Delete an email template

`DELETE /v1/email/templates/{template_ref}`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://us1.platform.bird.com`
- URL: `https://us1.platform.bird.com/v1/email/templates/{template_ref}`
- Auth: one of:
  - HTTP bearer
  - API key in cookie `bird_session`

Deletes the template and all its versions. The slug becomes available for reuse in the workspace, and the deletion cannot be undone.

A template can't be deleted while a broadcast that has not started sending still uses it, because a `scheduled` or `accepted` broadcast has not pinned the content it will send yet. [List the broadcasts blocking a template delete](/docs/api/reference/list-email-template-broadcasts) to see which ones those are. A broadcast that has already started sending does not block the delete: it pinned its version when it started, so it keeps sending the content it froze.

A message scheduled with this template does not block the delete either. It keeps only a reference to the template version until it falls due, so once the template is deleted that message is rejected with `generation_failure` at its scheduled time and no email is sent.

## Headers

- `Idempotency-Key` string
- `X-Workspace-Id` string
- `X-Organization-Id` string

## Response `204`

Email template deleted.

## Other responses

- `400`: Bad request
- `401`: Authentication required
- `403`: Insufficient permissions
- `404`: Resource not found
- `409`: Resource conflict
- `422`: The request has invalid field values, violates a business rule, or carries a query parameter the endpoint does not declare. Field validation errors use `type: validation_error` and include the affected fields in `details`. Business-rule errors identify the failed rule in `type`.
- `429`: Rate limit exceeded
- `500`: Internal server error
- `503`: The service is temporarily unavailable. If `Retry-After` is present, wait for that delay before retrying; otherwise, retry with exponential backoff. Reuse the same idempotency key and request when retrying a mutation.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/messagebird/apis/bird-api/revisions/3e2a50466454?raw)