Deleting a group of clients

Overview

The system lets you delete several clients at once from the clients list using bulk actions, instead of deleting each client separately. The system deletes each client independently: it deletes the clients that can be deleted and tells you why the rest couldn’t be. This article explains the bulk delete steps, its conditions, and what happens afterwards.

Before you start

• You need the Edit & Delete All Clients permission, or the Edit & Delete His Clients permission to delete only the clients you added.
• Deleting is permanent, and a client can’t be recovered after deletion.
• The clients must have no transactions in the system, such as invoices or payments; clients with transactions can’t be deleted. See Cases that affect deletion.

How to access

• From the main menu: Clients, then Manage Clients.
• Directly from the link: Clients list.

Steps

1. Open the clients list. Use search or the filters if you want to delete a specific group, such as clients in a certain category.
2. Select the clients to delete using the checkbox next to each one, or select all to select every client shown by the current filters.
3. From the bulk actions menu above the list, choose Delete.
4. The confirmation message Do you want to continue with this action? appears. Click ok.
5. The deletion progress page opens, and the system deletes each client separately. Wait until it finishes, then review the result.
6. Click Close to return to the clients list.

The deletion progress screen

Item	Description
The counter	The number of clients processed out of the total selected.
Successful	The number of clients deleted.
Failed	The number of clients that couldn’t be deleted.
Each client’s status	Shows In Progress during deletion, then a success mark with a “client deleted” message, or a failure mark with the reason.
The final message	Deleting was completed successfully if all were deleted, Deleting completed with failed items if some couldn’t be deleted, or Deleting failed if no client was deleted.

Error messages and solutions

Message shown next to the client	Cause	Solution
You can’t delete this account as it has invoices	The client has invoices, estimates, credit or debit notes, or returns.	Delete the client’s documents from Invoices first, or suspend the client instead of deleting them.
You can’t delete this account as it has deleted invoices	The client has invoices in the trash.	Delete the invoices permanently from the trash.
You can’t delete this account as it has payments	The client has recorded payments.	Delete their payments from Clients Payments first.
Could not delete the client, Please check that you have deleted all client transactions first.	The client’s account has journal entries, such as an opening balance or manual entries.	Delete the entries on the client’s account first.
You cannot delete the client as there’s related installment agreement	The client has an installment agreement.	Delete the installment agreement first.
You cannot delete the client as there’s a related reservation order	The client has a reservation order.	Delete the reservation order first.
You cannot delete the client as there’s a related Manufacturing Order	The client has a manufacturing order.	Delete the manufacturing order first.
You cannot delete the client already has a membership or credit charge in the system	The client has a membership or a credit charge.	Delete the membership or credit charge first.
You cannot delete the Client as he already has an Attendance Log	The client has an attendance log.	Delete the attendance logs first.
You are not allowed to edit this client	You don’t have permission to delete this client.	Ask the account manager for the permission in Roles.

Cases that affect deletion

Clients that can’t be deleted

To keep the accounts and reports correct, the system doesn’t delete a client who has linked transactions, including: invoices, estimates, notes and returns; payments; journal entries on their account; installment agreements; reservation and manufacturing orders; memberships and credit charges; and attendance logs. Deletion continues for the remaining clients and doesn’t stop because of them.

Permissions

Permission	What can be deleted
Edit & Delete All Clients	Any client.
Edit & Delete His Clients	Only the clients you added.
Account owner	Any client.

Alternative: suspending clients

If the clients have transactions you don’t want to delete, or you want to hide them while keeping their data, suspend them instead:

1. Select the clients in the clients list.
2. From the bulk actions, choose Suspend.

The client and all their transactions stay in the system, but they can’t sign in to the client portal. You can reactivate them at any time with Unsuspend. Suspending requires the Edit & Delete All Clients permission.

Effect on the system

• Client data: the client is deleted permanently and doesn’t appear in the trash.
• Linked data: the client’s notes and their attachments, appointments, reminders and staff assignments are deleted.
• Accounting: the client’s sub-account is deleted from the chart of accounts, since it has no transactions.
• Activity log: the deletion is recorded in the system activity log.

Important notes

• Before a bulk delete, export the clients’ data or take a backup, because deletion can’t be undone.
• Use the filters to select clients precisely before choosing select all.
• If most of the clients have transactions, suspending is more suitable than deleting.

FAQ

Can I recover clients after deleting them?

No. Deleting clients is permanent, and they don’t go to the trash.

Why were some clients deleted and others not?

The clients that weren’t deleted have transactions in the system. You’ll find each client’s reason next to them on the deletion progress page. See Error messages and solutions.

Why don’t I see the Delete option in the bulk actions?

Because you don’t have permission to delete clients. Ask the account manager for it.

I want to hide clients who have invoices without deleting their invoices. What should I do?

Use suspending clients instead of deleting.