markfordelete Console Command
Documentation and examples for the markfordelete command in Fallout: New Vegas.
markfordelete
This command flags the currently selected object for permanent deletion. The object is removed for good the next time its cell is reloaded.
Examples
Here are some examples of how to use markfordelete.
With an object selected in the console (its reference ID shows at the top of the screen), flags that object for deletion on the next cell reload.
Run disable first to make the object vanish immediately, then markfordelete to clean it up permanently — a common pairing for clutter and broken objects.
Use prid to target an object by its reference ID when you cannot click it directly, then run markfordelete to flag it.
In-depth description
What markfordelete does
markfordelete flags the object you currently have selected in the console for permanent removal. The object is not deleted the instant you press Enter — instead it is wiped the next time its cell is unloaded and reloaded (fast travel away and back, or save and reload). This is the engine's safe way to delete a reference without crashing the game mid-scene.
How to use it
- Open the console with the tilde key
~. - Click the object you want to delete. Its reference ID appears at the top of the screen, confirming it is selected.
- Type
markfordeleteand press Enter. - Fast travel away and back (or save and reload) to make the object disappear for good.
If an object is hard to click — it is tiny, embedded in geometry, or already disabled — select it by reference ID with prid <refid> first, then run markfordelete.
markfordelete vs disable
disable only hides an object: it stays in your save and can be brought back at any time with enable. markfordelete removes the reference completely and is irreversible — there is no enable to undo it. A common workflow is to run disable first so the object vanishes right away, then markfordelete so it is gone permanently after the next cell load.
Warnings
- The deletion is permanent. Save your game before deleting anything you might want back.
- Do not delete quest-critical, scripted, or persistent references (NPCs, quest items, activators). Removing them can break quests or scripts that expect the object to exist.
- Newly placed objects spawned with
player.placeatmeare safe candidates for cleanup withmarkfordelete.