> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dmly.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Delete a WhatsApp number

> Disconnect a WhatsApp number from your workspace, and understand what DMLY can and cannot delete on Meta's side.

"Deleting" a WhatsApp number means two different things, and only one of them happens in DMLY.
Disconnecting removes the number from your workspace and can be undone. Deleting the number
itself happens at Meta, in WhatsApp Manager, and DMLY has no part in it.

<Note>
  **DMLY cannot delete a number from Meta.** Nothing in DMLY removes a number from your
  WhatsApp Business Account, releases it, or cancels it. Disconnecting only unlinks it from
  this workspace.
</Note>

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Disconnect in DMLY" icon="link-slash">
    Unlinks the number from this workspace. The number, your WhatsApp Business Account and
    your templates are untouched. You can reconnect later.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delete at Meta" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    Removes the number from your WhatsApp Business Account. Done in WhatsApp Manager, not in
    DMLY, and DMLY cannot reverse it.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## When you would disconnect

* You are moving the number to a different workspace.
* You connected the wrong number and want to start over.
* You are switching the business to a new number.
* You are closing the workspace and want the number free for another tool.

If your problem is that messages are not arriving, disconnecting is usually the wrong fix and
often makes it harder to diagnose. Try [No inbound messages](/channels/no-inbound-messages)
first. If Meta has restricted the account, see [Account disabled](/channels/account-disabled) —
disconnecting does not clear a Meta restriction.

## Disconnect the number

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the number's configuration">
    Go to **Bot Setup → WhatsApp → Configuration**. Check the **Verified name** and
    **Phone number ID** shown there match the number you mean to remove.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Disconnect">
    Select **Disconnect**. A confirmation appears titled **Disconnect WhatsApp**: "This
    removes the connected number from this workspace. You can reconnect it later."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Confirm, and you get a **WhatsApp disconnected** message. The number stops sending and
    receiving in the [Inbox](/inbox/overview) immediately.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What you keep

Disconnecting removes the connection only. It does not delete your data:

* **Contacts** stay in the workspace, with their history and tags.
* **Past conversations** stay in the Inbox.
* **Message templates** live on your WhatsApp Business Account at Meta, not in DMLY, so they
  survive and come back when you reconnect.
* **The number itself** stays on your WhatsApp Business Account at Meta.

### What stops working

* Nothing sends or receives on that number — [Broadcasts](/broadcasts/overview),
  [Automations](/automation/overview) and agent replies all have no channel to send from.
* Any [Automation](/automation/flow-builder), bot or broadcast that was pointed at that
  WhatsApp channel no longer has a valid target.

<Warning>
  Reconnecting the same number creates a **new** channel — it does not restore the old one.
  Anything that was pointed at the disconnected channel stays pointed at the old one and will
  not resume on its own. After you reconnect, open your bots, automations and scheduled
  broadcasts and re-select the WhatsApp channel on each.
</Warning>

## Delete the number at Meta

If you want the number gone from your WhatsApp Business Account — not just out of DMLY — that
is a Meta action. Disconnect it in DMLY first, then go to Meta.

On **Bot Setup → WhatsApp → Configuration**, the **WhatsApp Manager** tile —
**Open WhatsApp Manager ↗** — takes you to Meta's phone-numbers page for your account. Do the
deletion there.

<Warning>
  Deleting a number at Meta is permanent and happens entirely outside DMLY. DMLY cannot undo
  it, and reconnecting in DMLY will not bring the number back. Be sure you have the right
  number before you delete it at Meta.
</Warning>

## If the number is still connected after disconnecting

Reconnecting a number to a different WhatsApp Business Account creates a second connection, so
an older, stale one can survive and keep appearing as a separate WhatsApp profile.
**Disconnect** only removes the profile currently selected in the channel selector.

<Accordion title="Finding a leftover connection">
  Your administrator can list every WhatsApp connection in the workspace, and see which are
  stale, by running the read-only diagnostic `php artisan salesbot:whatsapp-webhook-status`
  on the server. It flags duplicates and marks which connection is current.

  Each leftover has to be disconnected separately. Use the profile selector in the channel bar
  to switch to each leftover WhatsApp profile, confirm its **Phone number ID** on the
  Configuration tab, then disconnect it — repeat until only the number you want remains.
</Accordion>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect WhatsApp" icon="whatsapp" href="/channels/whatsapp">
    Reconnect a number, or connect a new one.
  </Card>

  <Card title="No inbound messages" icon="inbox" href="/channels/no-inbound-messages">
    Fix a connected number that receives nothing.
  </Card>
</Columns>