What Happens When I Delete My Release?

What “deleting” a release actually means depends on its current status — you can only delete a release directly if it’s still a Draft.

Deleting a Draft

If your release is still in Draft (never submitted), you can delete it directly. Since it was never distributed, deleting it simply removes it — there’s nothing else to process, since it never reached stores.

Submitted or Live releases

If your release has already been submitted or is live on stores, you can’t delete it directly. Instead, you’ll need to submit a takedown request to have it removed from stores.

What happens after a takedown

Once your takedown is approved:

• Your earnings already generated stay exactly as they are — see What Happens to Earnings After Takedown?.
• Your statistics and historical data remain visible in your account permanently — see What Happens to Statistics After Removal?.
• The release can’t be restored once the takedown is approved — see Can I Restore a Deleted Release? for when restoration is still possible (only while the request is under review).

Quick summary

• Draft → Delete directly, removed instantly, nothing else affected since it was never distributed.
• Submitted or Live → Requires a takedown request; earnings and stats are preserved, but the release itself can’t be restored once approved.

Summary: You can only delete a release directly if it’s still a Draft — since it was never distributed, deletion simply removes it with nothing else to process. If a release has already been submitted or is live on stores, it can’t be deleted directly; you need to submit a takedown request instead. After a takedown is approved, your earnings and historical statistics stay intact and remain visible, but the release itself can’t be restored — restoration is only possible while the takedown request is still under review.