---
title: "Delete a PFS"
description: "Permanently remove a TIR Parallel File System and its data, and stop its billing."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "tir-pfs"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-pfs/how-to/delete-a-pfs/"
topic: ["lifecycle"]
relationships: {"requires":["/tir/tir-pfs/how-to/create-a-pfs/"]}
---

# Delete a PFS

Delete a Parallel File System (PFS) once you have finished with it. Deleting a PFS permanently
removes all of its data, and billing for it stops once the deletion finishes. You can delete a
PFS that reads **OK** or **error**.

## Before you begin

- A role with Delete permission on the **Dataset** service in IAM.
- A copy of anything you want to keep, stored somewhere other than the PFS, since the delete removes
  all of it.
- The PFS unmounted from every instance, training cluster deployment, and Slurm cluster that has
  it. The delete goes through once the PFS is unmounted everywhere. See
  [See what uses a PFS](/tir/tir-pfs/how-to/see-what-uses-a-pfs/) to check, and
  [Mount a PFS on an instance](/tir/tir-pfs/how-to/mount-a-pfs-on-an-instance/) for the unmount
  steps.

## Delete it

1. In **Parallel File System**, open the PFS's **Actions** menu and select **Delete File-System**.
2. In the dialog, tick the acknowledgement checkbox. **Delete** becomes available once you do.
3. Select **Delete**.

If anything still has the PFS mounted, the delete fails with a message naming what is using it, for
example `delete cannot be performed on PFS. The following services are using PFS : [ node:
(my-instance) ]`. In that message, a node is your instance. Unmount the PFS from each one, then
try the delete again.

Once the delete goes through, the PFS disappears from **Parallel File System**, its data is
permanently deleted, and billing for it stops.

For help when **Delete File-System** is missing or a delete fails, see
[Troubleshooting TIR Parallel File System](/tir/tir-pfs/troubleshooting/tir-pfs/#delete-file-system-is-not-available).

To create a replacement, see [Create a PFS](/tir/tir-pfs/how-to/create-a-pfs/).