# rpk shadow delete

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [cloud-data-platform-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform-full.txt)

---
title: rpk shadow delete
latest-operator-version: v26.2.1
latest-console-tag: v3.9.0
latest-connect-version: 4.104.0
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.2.1
docname: rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow-delete
page-component-name: cloud-data-platform
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Cloud
page-relative-src-path: rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow-delete.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/reference/pages/rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow-delete.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2025-12-12"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/reference/rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow-delete.md -->

Delete a Redpanda Shadow Link.

This command deletes a Shadow Link by name. By default, you cannot delete a Shadow Link that has active shadow topics. Use `rpk shadow failover` first to deactivate topics before deletion, or use the `--force` flag to delete the Shadow Link and failover all its active shadow topics.

The command prompts you to confirm the deletion. Use the `--no-confirm` flag to skip the confirmation prompt. The `--force` flag automatically disables the confirmation prompt.

> ⚠️ **WARNING**
>
> Deleting a Shadow Link with `--force` permanently removes all shadow topics and stops replication. This operation cannot be undone.

## [](#usage)Usage

```bash
rpk shadow delete <link_name> [flags]
```

## [](#examples)Examples

This section provides examples of how to use `rpk shadow delete`.

Delete a shadow link.

```bash
rpk shadow delete my-shadow-link
```

Delete a shadow link without confirmation.

```bash
rpk shadow delete my-shadow-link --no-confirm
```

Force delete a shadow link with active shadow topics.

```bash
rpk shadow delete my-shadow-link --force
```

## [](#flags)Flags

| Value | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| -f, --force | bool | If set, forces a delete while there are active shadow topics; disables confirmation prompt as well. |
| --no-confirm | bool | Disable confirmation prompt. |

## [](#global-flags)Global flags

| Value | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| --config | string | Redpanda or rpk config file; default search paths are ~/.config/rpk/rpk.yaml, $PWD/redpanda.yaml, and /etc/redpanda/redpanda.yaml. |
| -X, --config-opt | stringArray | Override rpk configuration settings; -X help for detail or -X list for terser detail. |
| --ignore-profile | bool | Ignore rpk.yaml and redpanda.yaml; use default settings. |
| --profile | string | rpk profile to use. |
| -v, --verbose | bool | Enable verbose logging. |

## [](#suggested-reading)Suggested reading

-   [`rpk shadow failover`](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/reference/rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow-failover/)