How to Bulk-Delete DIDs in VICIdial (and Why You Can't Delete -default-)

When a client churns or a Carrier reclaims a number block, you need those inbound numbers gone fast and cleanly. DID Bulk Delete removes a set of DIDs in one action instead of clicking through them one at a time. It is a simple tool, but there is one number it will flatly refuse to touch - and that refusal is protecting you from a self-inflicted outage.

How the delete works

From the bulk tools screen you select the DIDs you want gone, confirm, and they are removed from the system. Each deleted DID (direct inward dialing) stops accepting inbound calls immediately - the record is gone, along with its DID route mapping. There is no soft-delete and no undo here, so treat the selection step as the last checkpoint before the numbers are unrecoverable from VICIdial's side.

The tool is scoped to the DIDs you tick, so unrelated numbers and their routes are never affected. That makes it safe to run mid-shift as long as none of the numbers you are removing are actively taking calls you still care about.

The -default- DID is off limits

You cannot delete the -default- DID. The system blocks it on purpose, and that is the single most important thing to understand about this tool. The default entry is the catch-all route: when an inbound call arrives on a number that has no specific DID record - or carries unexpected DNIS - the default decides where the call goes. Remove it and several parts of inbound handling break, because there is no longer a fallback path for any call that does not match a named DID.

Think of -default- as the safety net under your whole inbound setup. Even if you never route anything to it deliberately, it quietly catches the calls your other rules miss. That is why the tool simply will not let it go, no matter how you select it.

What the system checks before deleting

flowchart TD
  A[Select DIDs] --> B[Confirm delete]
  B --> C{Is it -default-?}
  C -- Yes --> D[Blocked, kept on system]
  C -- No --> E[Remove DID record]
  E --> F[Route mapping cleared]
  F --> G[Number stops taking calls]

Do this before you delete

• Confirm the number is truly dead with the carrier. A DID you delete and then need back has to be rebuilt from scratch, including its routing.
• Check what each DID points at. If it feeds a busy Campaign or a customer-facing IVR (interactive voice response), make sure callers will not be left stranded after the route disappears.
• Keep a copy of the list of numbers you removed. It is your only record once the delete runs, and you may need it for billing or porting paperwork.

A clean retirement routine

Numbers rarely die in isolation. When you decommission a block, also reconcile any DNC (do not call) obligations tied to those numbers and confirm nothing else - reports, scripts, or carrier configs - still references them. Doing the cleanup in one sitting beats discovering a stale reference weeks later.

Where it fits

Bulk Delete is the cleanup counterpart to bulk creation. If you are still adding numbers, DID Bulk Copy clones one DID's settings across a whole list. For the wider toolset, see our VICIdial admin bulk tools overview.

On a managed box these admin tools are always one click away and the underlying tables stay healthy. See VICIfast pricing to compare hosted plans.