# Delete Extensions

An extension is the internal identity (a short internal number) that Cloud Voice assigns to a user or a device so it can make and receive calls on the PBX (Private Branch Exchange, the phone system that routes calls for your organization). When an extension is no longer needed, for example after an employee leaves or a desk phone is retired, you can remove it. You can delete extensions one at a time, or select several and remove them together in a single action.

:::danger
Deleting an extension is permanent and cannot be undone. The device registered to it stops working immediately, and the extension's voicemail, greetings, and personal settings are removed with it. If the extension is a user's only phone, that person will not be able to place calls, including emergency calls (E911, the Enhanced 911 service that routes a 911 call to the correct dispatcher and shares the caller's location), until a replacement extension is set up. If you only need to hand the line to a new person, edit the extension to reassign it instead of deleting it.
:::

:::caution
Before you delete, check whether any external number (DID, short for Direct Inward Dialing, an outside phone number that reaches you directly) or inbound route, ring group, or queue points to this extension. Those calls will have nowhere to go once the extension is gone, so update the routing first to avoid dropped or failed calls.
:::

## Delete a single extension

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice management portal and open **Extension and Trunk > Extension**.
2. Find the extension you want to remove in the list, then click the delete (trash) icon ![Delete](/images/pbx/delete.png) in its row.
3. Confirm the removal by clicking **OK** in the dialog that appears.
4. Click **Apply** to save the change.

:::note
Changes are staged until you click **Apply**. The extension is not actually removed, and the change does not take effect, until you apply it.
:::

## Delete extensions in bulk

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice management portal and open **Extension and Trunk > Extension**.
2. In the extension list, tick the checkbox beside each extension you want to remove, then click **Delete**.
3. Confirm the removal by clicking **OK** in the dialog that appears.
4. Click **Apply** to save the change.

:::tip
Bulk deletion is the fastest way to clean up several unused extensions at once: select all of the checkboxes you need in step 2, then delete and apply a single time rather than repeating the single-extension steps for each one.
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