Reasons why you cannot delete a structure
If you cannot delete an Area or a Department, it is usually for one of the following reasons:
- It is the default structure. The first structure created for your organisation cannot be deleted, only modified, to ensure the system always has at least one structure available.
- The Area still contains Departments. You cannot delete an Area if it still has active Departments inside it. You must first delete or move all Departments to another Area before the delete button becomes active.
- You do not have the required permission. Only the Founder and users with the
can_delete_structurespermission can see and use the delete button. If the button is simply not visible, ask a Founder-level administrator to check your permissions via Manage Permissions.
What happens to users when I delete a Department?
Before the deletion is confirmed, the system will prompt you to choose what to do with the users currently assigned to that Department:
- Move them to another Department — select the destination from the dropdown. All affected users are reassigned automatically.
- Leave them unassigned — select the blank option. Users lose their structure assignment and will appear under the Unassigned filter in Manage Memberships.
Deleted structures go to the Recycle Bin
Deleting a structure does not permanently remove it. It is moved to the Recycle Bin, accessible via the Recycle Bin button on the Areas list page. From there, structures can be restored at any time.
Access to the Recycle Bin requires the can_recycle_structures permission or Founder status.
Note: Restoring a Department does not automatically reassign users who were moved or unassigned at deletion time. You will need to reassign them manually using Manage Memberships.
