---
title: "Bulk Delete Subfolders"
method: DELETE
path: "/folders/{folderId}/subfolders/bulk_delete"
tags: ["Subfolders"]
---

# Bulk Delete Subfolders

`DELETE /folders/{folderId}/subfolders/bulk_delete`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.wistia.com/modern`
- URL: `https://api.wistia.com/modern/folders/{folderId}/subfolders/bulk_delete`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Deletes multiple subfolders asynchronously. Their media is also soft-deleted and can be restored from the trash by an account owner or manager until it is purged. To keep the media, use the Delete Subfolder endpoint, which moves it to the folder's root level.

## Requires api token with one of the following permissions
```
Read, update & delete anything
```

Tokens with the "Act with a team member's permissions" permission
(`all:delegate_to_contact_permissions` scope) can also be used. Requests
made with such a token are authorized using the permissions of the
contact assigned to the token.

An [expiring access token](https://docs.wistia.com/reference/post_expiring-token)
created with the `all:delegate_to_contact_permissions` scope and an
authorization granting the `update` permission on this folder can also
be used.

An [expiring access token](https://docs.wistia.com/reference/post_expiring-token)
created with the `all:delegate_to_contact_permissions` scope and an
authorization granting the `update` permission on the folder can also be
used.

## Path parameters

- `folderId` string, required

## Headers

- `X-Wistia-API-Version` string, required

## Request body

- object
  - `hashed_ids` string[], required: An array of the subfolder hashed IDs to be deleted.

## Response `200`

Successful queuing of subfolder deletion.

- object
  - `message` string, required: A confirmation message that the background job has been queued.
  - `background_job_status` object, required: A background job keeps track of the progress of an asynchronous task, e.g bulk archiving media, translating media, etc.
    - `id` integer, required: The ID of the background job that's been queued for the request.
    - `hashed_id` string, required: The unguessable hashed ID of the background job. Prefer this over the numeric ID when polling for status.
    - `status` 'queued' | 'started' | 'finished' | 'failed', required: The status of the background job that's been queued for the request.

## Other responses

- `401`: Unauthorized, invalid or missing token
- `403`: Forbidden, token is valid but account does not have access to feature
- `404`: Folder not found
- `422`: Unprocessable entity, e.g. missing required parameters.
- `500`: Internal server error

## Changes

- **2026-11-03** `b86cb2a7b420`: 1 info
  - endpoint added

[Operation history](https://skmtc.dev/wistia/apis/data-api/changes/folders/:folderId/subfolders/bulk_delete/delete.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/wistia/apis/data-api.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/wistia/apis/data-api/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/wistia/apis/data-api/revisions/b86cb2a7b420?raw)