Keep your contact list clean and accurate by removing contacts you no longer need. Your CRM lets you delete contacts one at a time from an individual contact record, or delete multiple contacts at once using bulk selection. This article covers both methods. Before deleting any contacts, note that contact deletion is permanent — deleted contacts cannot be recovered after the deletion is confirmed.

When and Why to Delete Contacts from Your CRM

A clean contact list improves the accuracy of your reporting, reduces clutter when searching for clients, and helps keep your email deliverability healthy by ensuring you are not sending to contacts who should no longer be in your database. Common reasons to delete contacts include removing test records created during setup, removing duplicate entries, or clearing out contacts imported by mistake.

If you want to stop sending marketing emails to a contact but want to keep their record for reference — for example, a past client — opt them out of marketing emails rather than deleting the record. Deleting a contact removes the record entirely and cannot be undone. To learn how to opt a contact out of marketing emails, see How to Opt a Contact Out of Marketing Emails in Keap™.

How to Delete an Individual Contact

Use this method to delete a single contact from within their contact record.

1. Click Contacts in the left-hand navigation. Then click People from the Contacts submenu. Locate the contact you want to delete and click their name to open the contact record.

   

   The screenshot above shows the People page with a list of existing contacts. Click the name of the contact you want to delete to open their individual contact record.

2. Click the Edit button in the upper area of the contact record. The contact record opens in edit mode.

   

   The screenshot above shows the contact record with the Edit button visible in the upper area of the page. Clicking Edit opens the contact record in edit mode and reveals the Delete contact option at the bottom of the page.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the contact record edit screen. Click Delete contact. A confirmation dialog appears asking you to confirm the deletion.

   

   The screenshot above shows the bottom of the contact record edit screen with the Delete contact button displayed below all other contact fields. Clicking Delete contact does not immediately delete the record — a confirmation dialog appears in the next step before the deletion is finalized.

4. Click Delete in the confirmation dialog to permanently delete the contact. The contact record is removed from your CRM immediately and cannot be recovered.

   

   The screenshot above shows the confirmation dialog with a Delete button and a Cancel button. Clicking Delete permanently removes the contact record. Clicking Cancel closes the dialog and returns you to the contact record without making any changes.

How to Delete Multiple Contacts at Once

Use this method to select and delete multiple contacts from the People page in a single action.

1. Click Contacts in the left-hand navigation. Then click People from the Contacts submenu. On the People page, click the avatar — the profile photo or initial icon — on the left side of each contact row you want to delete. Clicking the avatar selects that contact and adds a checkmark to indicate the contact is included in your selection.

   

   The screenshot above shows the People page with multiple contacts selected. Each selected contact displays a checkmark on their avatar icon. Continue clicking avatars until all contacts you want to delete are selected.

2. Review the number of selected contacts displayed in the toolbar that appears at the top of the People page after making your first selection. Confirm the count matches the number of contacts you intend to delete before proceeding.

   

   The screenshot above shows the toolbar that appears at the top of the People page when one or more contacts are selected. The toolbar displays the total number of selected contacts. Verify the number shown matches the number of contacts you want to delete before clicking Delete.

3. Click Delete in the toolbar. A confirmation dialog appears asking you to confirm the bulk deletion.

   

   The screenshot above shows the toolbar with the Delete button highlighted. Clicking Delete does not immediately remove the contacts — a confirmation dialog appears in the next step before the deletion is finalized.

4. Click Delete in the confirmation dialog to permanently delete all selected contacts. All selected contact records are removed from your CRM immediately and cannot be recovered.

   

   The screenshot above shows the bulk deletion confirmation dialog displaying the number of contacts selected for deletion. The Delete button permanently removes all selected contacts. The Cancel button closes the dialog and returns you to the People page without deleting any contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?
This article covers how to delete an individual contact from a contact record and how to delete multiple contacts at once from the People page. This article does not cover opting contacts out of marketing emails, merging duplicate contacts, or archiving contacts. To opt a contact out of marketing emails without deleting their record, see How to Opt a Contact Out of Marketing Emails in Keap™. To merge duplicate contact records, see How to Merge Duplicate Contacts in Keap™.

Can I recover a contact after deleting it?
No. Contact deletion is permanent. Once you confirm the deletion — for either an individual contact or a bulk deletion — the contact records are removed from your CRM and cannot be recovered. If you are unsure whether you want to permanently delete a contact, opt them out of marketing emails instead to stop sending to them while keeping their record intact.

Is there a limit to how many contacts I can delete at once in a bulk deletion?
The article does not specify a maximum number of contacts that can be selected for bulk deletion. If you are planning to delete a very large number of contacts, verify the selection count carefully in the toolbar before confirming to ensure only the intended contacts are included.

What happens to appointments, invoices, and other records associated with a deleted contact?
Deleting a contact removes the contact record from your CRM. To confirm how associated records such as appointments, invoices, notes, and tasks are handled when a contact is deleted, contact Keap™ Support for clarification before proceeding with deletion if this information is important to your decision.

Can I select all contacts on the People page at once for bulk deletion?
The original article describes selecting contacts individually by clicking each avatar. If a Select All option is available on the People page, it is not described in the source content for this article. Verify whether a Select All option exists in the People page toolbar and update this article accordingly if it does.