Delete File

Delete a file and remove it from all vector stores

Method Signature

client.files.delete(
    file_id: str
) -> FileDeleted

Parameters

file_id · str · required

The ID of the file to delete.

Response

Returns a FileDeleted object:

class FileDeleted(BaseModel):
    id: str  # The ID of the deleted file
    deleted: bool  # Whether the file was successfully deleted
    object: Literal["file"]  # Always "file"

Examples

Delete a File

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()

response = client.files.delete("file-abc123")

if response.deleted:
    print(f"File {response.id} deleted successfully")
else:
    print("File deletion failed")

Delete and Verify

from openai import NotFoundError

file_id = "file-abc123"

# Delete the file
response = client.files.delete(file_id)
print(f"Deleted: {response.deleted}")

# Verify deletion
try:
    client.files.retrieve(file_id)
    print("File still exists!")
except NotFoundError:
    print("File successfully removed")

Delete Multiple Files

file_ids = ["file-abc123", "file-def456", "file-ghi789"]

for file_id in file_ids:
    try:
        response = client.files.delete(file_id)
        if response.deleted:
            print(f"✓ Deleted {file_id}")
        else:
            print(f"✗ Failed to delete {file_id}")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"✗ Error deleting {file_id}: {e}")

Delete Old Files

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

# Get all files
files = client.files.list()

# Delete files older than 30 days
thirty_days_ago = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=30)

for file in files:
    file_date = datetime.fromtimestamp(file.created_at)
    
    if file_date < thirty_days_ago:
        response = client.files.delete(file.id)
        print(f"Deleted old file: {file.filename}")

Delete Files by Purpose

# Delete all batch files
batch_files = client.files.list(purpose="batch")

for file in batch_files:
    response = client.files.delete(file.id)
    print(f"Deleted batch file: {file.filename}")

Async Usage

from openai import AsyncOpenAI

client = AsyncOpenAI()

response = await client.files.delete("file-abc123")
print(f"Deleted: {response.deleted}")

Delete Multiple Files Concurrently

import asyncio
from openai import AsyncOpenAI

client = AsyncOpenAI()

async def delete_files(file_ids):
    tasks = [client.files.delete(fid) for fid in file_ids]
    results = await asyncio.gather(*tasks, return_exceptions=True)
    
    for file_id, result in zip(file_ids, results):
        if isinstance(result, Exception):
            print(f"Error deleting {file_id}: {result}")
        elif result.deleted:
            print(f"Deleted {file_id}")

file_ids = ["file-abc123", "file-def456", "file-ghi789"]
await delete_files(file_ids)

Error Handling

from openai import OpenAI, NotFoundError, APIError

client = OpenAI()

try:
    response = client.files.delete("file-abc123")
    print(f"File deleted: {response.deleted}")
except NotFoundError:
    print("File not found or already deleted")
except APIError as e:
    print(f"API error: {e}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Unexpected error: {e}")

Important Notes

• Vector Store Removal: Deleting a file removes it from all vector stores where it’s being used
• Irreversible: File deletion cannot be undone
• Fine-tuning Jobs: Deleting a training file does not affect fine-tuning jobs that have already completed
• Active Jobs: Be cautious when deleting files that may be in use by active jobs
• Batch Files: Files with purpose=batch may auto-expire, so manual deletion might not be necessary

Best Practices

1. Check before deleting: Always verify the file details before deletion

   file = client.files.retrieve("file-abc123")
   print(f"About to delete: {file.filename} ({file.purpose})")
   # Confirm before proceeding
   response = client.files.delete(file.id)
   

2. Clean up expired files: Delete expired batch files to free up storage

   from datetime import datetime
   
   files = client.files.list()
   now = datetime.now().timestamp()
   
   for file in files:
       if file.expires_at and file.expires_at < now:
           client.files.delete(file.id)
   

3. Log deletions: Keep track of deleted files for audit purposes

   import logging
   
   logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
   
   response = client.files.delete(file_id)
   logger.info(f"Deleted file {file_id}: {response.deleted}")