Deleting

Deleting

Managing the lifecycle of your department’s content includes knowing when to archive or permanently remove pages and files. On ITS Drupal sites, deleting a node (page, news item, and so on) and deleting a Media Library asset follow different workflows, each with its own risks.

Deleting content nodes

When you delete a webpage, landing page, or webform container, you remove the node from the database.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Navigate to the page and click the Edit tab.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the form or check the sidebar for the red Delete link.

  3. On the confirmation screen (“Are you sure you want to delete the content item?”), click Delete again to confirm.

Restricted permissions on the content list

Some sites do not allow bulk delete from the main Content list. If Delete does not appear in the action dropdown, open each item individually and use Edit > Delete.

Deleting Media Library assets

PDFs, images, and videos live in the centralized Media Library and may be referenced on many pages. Deleting an asset can break links site-wide.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In the Admin Toolbar, go to Content > Media.

  2. Find the file using search or filters.

  3. Click Edit on the asset’s row.

  4. Click the red Delete link and confirm on the warning page.

The direct URL consideration

Deleting a page does not automatically remove PDFs still stored in the Media Library. Even after deleting a media record, cached copies on delivery networks may remain reachable by direct URL (for example, /sites/default/files/2026/handbook.pdf). To fully purge sensitive documents, coordinate with ITS.

Search engine delays

Editors sometimes see deleted or unpublished pages still listed in Google, Bing, or campus search. When you delete or unpublish, the live site updates immediately, but external search engines crawl on their own schedule.

  • Indexing delay: It may take days or weeks for a URL to drop from search results naturally.

  • Urgent removal: Departments can use tools such as Google Search Console’s URL Removal Tool to request faster delisting when outdated or sensitive information must disappear quickly.

Best practice: Unpublishing vs. Deleting

Default to unpublishing rather than deleting when content might return or when you want to preserve revision history.

  • Content is preserved — Hidden from the public but available to editors.

  • Quick restoration — Check Published and save to bring a page back online.

  • Safer URLs and menus — Unpublishing avoids permanently breaking menu structure while you reorganize.

See Publishing & Unpublishing.