# How can we help?

## Overview

Contacts can be deleted/removed from Cordial via the UI or using the REST API. This action will permanently delete contacts from your system.

- You can [learn how to remove contacts from a list but still keep them in your system here](https://support.cordial.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005528428-Lists).

When you delete contacts from Cordial, all contact attribute values will also be deleted by default. You have the option to retain or anonymize these values on a per attribute basis. [Learn more about customizing attribute access and deletion here](https://support.cordial.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005528368-Contact-Attributes#customize_access).

## Delete contacts via the UI

### Delete the results of a contact search

1. Navigate to **Contacts >** **Search Contacts**.
2. Select or create an audience rule to determine the contacts to be deleted.
   - [Learn more about creating an audience here](https://support.cordial.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005532168-Build-an-Audience).
3. Under the **Actions** menu, choose **View contact results**.

4. From the **Individual Contact Results** page, you can select individual contacts to delete or **Select All** contacts and delete them.

5. Click the **Remove** button.

6. A warning message will display with a confirmation prompt. Enter your Cordial account login email address and confirm that you wish to delete the contacts.

There will be no further warnings after you click **Delete contacts**.

### Delete the results of a saved audience rule

1. Navigate to **Contacts >** **Audiences**.
2. Select individual audience rules from the list, or **Select All** from the dropdown menu in the upper left.
3. Hover over the arrow icon and select **Remove**.
4. When prompted, confirm audience rule removal by clicking **Yes, remove audience**.

## Delete contacts via the API

You can delete a single contact with the DELETE <path>/contacts/ method. [Learn more about contacts and the API here](https://support.cordial.com/hc/en-us/articles/203885958-Contacts).

Deleting an audience is not supported by the API. Only one contact may be deleted per API call.