You can delete images attached to Zoho CRM records by selecting the image and removing it, or by bulk-deleting records that contain images through the Recycle Bin. This guide covers both approaches.
Why this matters
Record images—whether product photos, attachment previews, or document scans—accumulate over time and consume storage. Removing unwanted images keeps your CRM lean and your file quota available for active data. You may also need to purge images after data migrations, testing phases, or when cleaning up duplicate records.
Step-by-step
Step 1. Delete a single image from a record
Open the record containing the image you want to remove. Right-click on the image and select Delete, or click the image once and press the Delete key on your keyboard. You can also access the image's Advanced Options menu from the top right corner of the image thumbnail and choose delete from there.[2]
Step 2. Verify the image is removed
Refresh the record view to confirm the image no longer appears. The space it occupied will now be empty.
Step 3. For bulk image deletion, identify records to remove
If you need to delete many records that contain images—for example, after a test import or migration—navigate to the module containing those records. Use filters or search to isolate the records you want to delete. Note their IDs or apply a tag to group them.[1]
Step 4. Delete the records in bulk
Select multiple records using the checkbox column, then use the bulk delete action from the toolbar. Alternatively, for very large volumes, use Deluge scripting with COQL and the CRM API to retrieve record IDs in batches of 100 and execute bulk deletion programmatically.[1] This approach is reusable across different modules by changing the module API name.
Step 5. Review the Recycle Bin
After deletion, the records and their attached images move to your Recycle Bin. You have 60 days to restore them if needed.[8] Access the Recycle Bin from Setup > Data Administration > Recycle Bin.
Step 6. Permanently delete if necessary
If you want to free up storage immediately and are certain you don't need the images, you can permanently delete records from the Recycle Bin. Once removed from the Recycle Bin, records cannot be retrieved.[3] Note: Beam Help is independent expert support for Zoho and is not official Zoho support.
Step 7. Use filters to manage attachments in bulk
If your Recycle Bin contains many attachments and images you want to purge, click the filter icon in the Recycle Bin, select Attachments as the Type, and then select all displayed items to delete them in bulk.[8] This speeds up cleanup without restoring the parent records.
Common pitfalls
When you delete a record, all images, attachments, notes, emails, and tasks associated with it are also moved to the Recycle Bin—even if you didn't delete them directly.[8] If you restore the parent record later, all linked items restore with it. Be clear about whether you want to keep the record itself or just remove the image from an active record.
If using bulk deletion via API, ensure your COQL filter is specific. Using a filter like "where id is not null" will delete your entire module unless that's your intention.[1] Always test with a small subset first.
What to check
- Confirm the image no longer appears in the record detail view after deletion.
- If you deleted records in bulk, verify the correct records landed in the Recycle Bin and no unintended records were removed.
- Check your file storage quota in Setup > System Settings to see if storage has been freed after permanent deletion from the Recycle Bin.