How Account Deletion Works on the XRP Ledger

Definition and scope

How Account Deletion Works on the XRP Ledger addresses a distinct part of accounts and wallet controls. Review eligibility, destination requirements, deletion costs, and the ledger objects that can block deletion.

An XRPL account is a ledger object controlled by cryptographic authorization—not an app login. These topics explain how accounts begin, how transactions are ordered, and how master keys, regular keys, signer lists, and domain settings change operational control. Authorization changes should be rehearsed with independent recovery paths. No guide requires sharing a seed, family secret, or private key.

How it works

AccountDelete removes an eligible AccountRoot and sends remaining transferable XRP to a destination. The account must satisfy sequence-age and object restrictions, and the transaction uses a special deletion cost rather than an ordinary minimum fee.

• AccountDelete: verify this field, object, or component against the cited protocol documentation.
• account_objects: verify this field, object, or component against the cited protocol documentation.
• deletion cost: verify this field, object, or component against the cited protocol documentation.
• Destination: verify this field, object, or component against the cited protocol documentation.

Practical example and checks

Before deletion, enumerate account_objects, remove blockers, confirm the destination and tag, calculate the current deletion cost, then verify the validated result and destination balance.

For production use, preserve the exact signed or queried data, record the network and validated ledger reference, and compare the result with the current primary documentation before changing off-ledger state.

Limits, risks, and common confusion

Deletion does not erase historical ledger records and some object relationships can prevent it. Recreating the same address later does not restore prior settings or ownership state.

Authorization changes should be rehearsed with independent recovery paths. No guide requires sharing a seed, family secret, or private key.

Current network status

Enabled on XRPL Mainnet. The underlying protocol capability is available on XRPL Mainnet. Individual services can still impose additional rules, limits, or trust assumptions.

Status reviewed 2026-08-23. Amendment-dependent behavior must be rechecked against the network's live feature state before operational use.