---
title: Delete a database
description: Use the influxctl database delete command to delete a database from your InfluxDB cluster. Provide the name of the database you want to delete.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/clustered/admin/databases/delete/
estimated_tokens: 380
publisher: InfluxData
canonical: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/clustered/admin/databases/delete/
date: '2026-05-15T15:46:14-06:00'
lastmod: '2026-05-15T15:46:14-06:00'
---

Use the [`influxctl database delete` command](/influxdb3/clustered/reference/cli/influxctl/database/delete/)to delete a database from your InfluxDB cluster.

1. If you haven’t already, [download and install the `influxctl` CLI](/influxdb3/clustered/reference/cli/influxctl/#download-and-install-influxctl).

2. Run the `influxctl database delete` command and provide the following:

   * The name of the database to delete

3. Confirm that you want to delete the database.

```sh
influxctl database delete DATABASE_NAME
```

#### Wait before writing to a new database with the same name

After deleting a database from your InfluxDB
cluster, you can reuse the name to create a new database, but **wait two to
three minutes** after deleting the previous database before writing to the new
database to allow write caches to clear.

#### Tokens still grant access to databases with the same name

[Database tokens](/influxdb3/clustered/admin/tokens/database/) are associated to
databases by name. If you create a new database with the same name, tokens
that granted access to the deleted database will also grant access to the new
database.

#### Never directly modify the Catalog

Never directly modify the [PostgreSQL-compatible Catalog](/influxdb3/clustered/reference/internals/storage-engine/#catalog).
Doing so will result in an undefined state for various components and may lead to data loss and crashes.

#### Related

* [influxctl database delete](/influxdb3/clustered/reference/cli/influxctl/database/delete/)