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MongoDB - Delete Document

In this chapter, we will learn how to delete a document using MongoDB.

The remove() Method​

MongoDB's remove() method is used to remove a document from the collection. The remove() method accepts two parameters: one is the deletion criteria and the second is the justOne flag.

  • deletion criteria − (Optional) The criteria according to which documents will be removed.
  • justOne − (Optional) If set to true or 1, then only one document will be removed.

Syntax​

The basic syntax of the remove() method is as follows:

> db.COLLECTION_NAME.remove(DELETION_CRITERIA)

Example​

Consider the mycol collection has the following data:

{ "_id" : ObjectId("507f191e810c19729de860e1"), "title": "MongoDB Overview" },
{ "_id" : ObjectId("507f191e810c19729de860e2"), "title": "NoSQL Overview" },
{ "_id" : ObjectId("507f191e810c19729de860e3"), "title": "Tutorials Point Overview" }

Following example will remove all the documents whose title is 'MongoDB Overview'.

> db.mycol.remove({'title':'MongoDB Overview'})
WriteResult({ "nRemoved" : 1 })
> db.mycol.find()
{ "_id" : ObjectId("507f191e810c19729de860e2"), "title": "NoSQL Overview" }
{ "_id" : ObjectId("507f191e810c19729de860e3"), "title": "Tutorials Point Overview" }

Remove Only One​

If there are multiple records and you want to delete only the first record, then set the justOne parameter in the remove() method.

> db.COLLECTION_NAME.remove(DELETION_CRITERIA, 1)

Remove All Documents​

If you don't specify deletion criteria, then MongoDB will delete all documents from the collection. This is equivalent to SQL's TRUNCATE command.

> db.mycol.remove({})
WriteResult({ "nRemoved" : 2 })
> db.mycol.find()

Diagrams​

Remove Document Flow​

Notes​

  • Always double-check your deletion criteria to avoid accidental removal of unintended documents.
  • Use justOne flag to limit deletion to a single document if needed.
  • Omitting the deletion criteria will result in removing all documents from the collection.

Table of Commands​

CommandDescription
db.COLLECTION_NAME.remove(DELETION_CRITERIA)Removes documents matching the criteria.
db.COLLECTION_NAME.remove(DELETION_CRITERIA, 1)Removes only the first document matching the criteria.
db.COLLECTION_NAME.remove({})Removes all documents from the collection.