How to Permanently Delete the Multilanguage Knowledge Base Articles
BoldDesk allows authorized users to permanently delete Knowledge Base articles, including articles created in multiple languages. Permanent deletion removes articles completely from the system and cannot be undone.
This article explains:
- Who can permanently delete Knowledge Base articles
- How deletion works for primary and translated articles
- The exact steps to delete articles using the Deleted Articles view
Use Cases
Use permanent deletion when you need to:
- Remove outdated or incorrect Knowledge Base content
- Clean up unused articles across multiple languages
- Enforce content governance and compliance requirements
- Permanently remove articles that should not be restored
Prerequisites and Permissions
Before proceeding, ensure the following:
- You have Delete permission for Knowledge Base articles
- You are working in the Agent Portal
- The article has already been moved to the Deleted Articles section
Only users with appropriate Knowledge Base permissions can permanently delete articles.
How Article Deletion Works in BoldDesk
BoldDesk supports multilingual Knowledge Base articles, where:
- A Primary Language article acts as the base version
- Translated articles are linked to the primary article
Permanent deletion behaves differently depending on which version is deleted. Deleting an article in the primary language will permanently delete all associated translations, while deleting a non‑primary (translated) version will permanently delete only that specific language version.
How to permanently delete the primary articles
Follow the given steps to permanently delete a primary article:
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Select the KB module on the left menu.
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Click the language drop-down list and choose the Primary language.
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Click the Deleted Articles section.
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There are two ways to delete the articles. To delete a single article, click the Delete icon near the respective article. To delete multiple articles, click the Delete Forever option at the top-right corner after selecting the articles.
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After clicking the Delete Forever option, the confirmation dialog box will be shown as follows:
- Click the Delete Forever option to delete the article permanently.
When a primary article is permanently deleted, the article translated into other languages will also be deleted permanently.
How to permanently delete the translated articles
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Select the KB module on the left menu.
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Click the language dropdown list and switch to any Secondary language.
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Click the Deleted Articles section.
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Select the article you wish to delete and click the Delete Forever option.
A confirmation pop-up will appear, displaying a checkbox with the question Delete this article in all languages?.
- Click the Delete Forever option to delete the article permanently.
- Tick the checkbox and click Delete Forever to permanently delete the article in all languages.
- Untick the checkbox and click Delete Forever to permanently delete the article in the specific language alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I recover an article after clicking Delete Forever?
No. Permanent deletion removes the article from BoldDesk completely and cannot be undone. -
Does BoldDesk allow deleting only one translation without affecting others?
Yes. When deleting a translated article, you can choose to delete only that specific language version. -
Can administrators restrict who can permanently delete Knowledge Base articles?
Yes. This is controlled through Admin Settings → Roles & Permissions. -
Does BoldDesk provide an audit log for permanently deleted articles?
No. BoldDesk does not currently provide recovery or historical access to permanently deleted Knowledge Base articles. -
Is permanent deletion available in the Customer Portal?
No. Permanent deletion is available only in the Agent Portal for authorized users.
