If you've been developing on the platform for any length of time, you've likely seen those automated messages from Roblox regarding a roblox delete request script and the "Right to Erasure." It usually starts with a notification in your creator inbox that looks pretty official and, frankly, a little intimidating. It's basically Roblox telling you that a specific user has requested to have their personal data deleted under GDPR or similar privacy laws. As a developer, the ball is in your court to make sure that person's data is actually wiped from your game's DataStores.
It's one of those things that feels like a chore until you realize how important it is. Not only is it a legal requirement in many parts of the world, but failing to follow through can actually get your game—or even your account—in hot water with Roblox. So, while writing a script to delete data isn't as exciting as coding a new boss fight or a shiny inventory system, it's a foundational part of being a responsible dev.
Why Does This Even Matter?
When someone plays your game, you're probably saving a lot of stuff. Levels, gold, XP, custom character skins—all of that is tied to their UserId. When that player decides they want off the grid, they send a request to Roblox. Roblox then fans that request out to every single developer whose game that player has ever touched.
The reason we talk about a roblox delete request script is that there's no "delete all" button that handles every game simultaneously. Roblox manages the account-level stuff, but your DataStore is your own little island. You're the king of that island, and you're the only one with the keys to the cabinet where the player data is kept. If you don't clear it out, that data stays there forever, which is exactly what the "Right to Erasure" is meant to prevent.
How the Process Usually Goes Down
Usually, you'll get a system message. It'll give you a UserId and tell you that you need to delete their data within a certain timeframe (often 30 days). If you only have one DataStore in one game, it's a five-minute job. But if you're running a massive universe with multiple places and dozens of different DataStores for things like pets, inventory, and global leaderboards, it gets a bit more complicated.
This is why most seasoned developers don't just wait for the message to arrive. They have a plan. They have a script ready to go—or even better, an admin panel inside their game where they can just punch in a ID and let the script do the heavy lifting.
Writing a Basic Roblox Delete Request Script
Let's look at the logic. To delete data, you're essentially using the RemoveAsync method. Most people are used to GetAsync or SetAsync, but RemoveAsync is the one that actually scrubs the entry from the database rather than just setting it to zero or nil.
Here's the thing: you can't just write a script and leave it in a Script object in ServerScriptService and expect it to work magically. You have to trigger it. Usually, a simple way to do this is to run a small block of code in the Command Bar in Roblox Studio while you're in the specific place where the data is stored.
A very basic version of a roblox delete request script would look something like this in your command bar:
```lua local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService") local storeName = "PlayerStats" -- This has to match your actual DataStore name local myDataStore = DataStoreService:GetDataStore(storeName)
local userIdToDelete = 12345678 -- The ID from your inbox local key = "Player_" .. userIdToDelete
local success, err = pcall(function() myDataStore:RemoveAsync(key) end)
if success then print("Data for " .. userIdToDelete .. " has been nuked.") else warn("Something went wrong: " .. err) end ```
It's simple, right? But the "gotcha" is that if you use different keys—like User-12345 or just the number itself—you have to make sure your script matches that format exactly. If you try to delete Player_12345 but your data is actually stored under 12345, the script will technically "succeed" but it won't actually delete anything because it couldn't find the key.
Handling Multiple DataStores
If your game is complex, you probably don't just have one PlayerStats store. You might have one for Settings, one for Inventory, and maybe another for Bans. A proper roblox delete request script needs to loop through all of them.
I've seen some developers get clever and keep a list of all their DataStore names in a table. That way, when a request comes in, they just run a loop. It saves you from having to copy-paste the same code five times. It's also a good way to make sure you don't forget that one obscure DataStore you made three years ago and forgot to document.
Automation and Admin Tools
If you're lucky enough to have a game that gets a lot of traffic, you might be getting these requests once a week. Doing it manually in the Command Bar starts to feel like a drag. Some developers build a "GDPR Tool" into their internal admin panels.
This usually involves a hidden UI that only the game owner can see. You type in the UserId, hit a big red button, and the server-side script iterates through every known DataStore and wipes the user. But a word of caution: be extremely careful with these tools. You don't want a bug in your script that accidentally wipes the wrong person—or worse, wipes your entire database. Always include a "Are you sure?" confirmation and maybe even a log that prints to the console so you can verify what happened.
What About OrderedDataStores?
Don't forget the leaderboards! OrderedDataStore is handled slightly differently. If you have a global "Top Kills" leaderboard, that user's ID and score are sitting there for everyone to see. When you get a delete request, you've got to scrub them from there too.
The logic is the same—RemoveAsync—but it's a separate call. If you delete their main stats but forget the leaderboard, their name might still pop up in your game's lobby. That's technically still holding onto their data, and it's a bit of a "look" if the player sees they aren't actually gone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One of the biggest mistakes I see is people thinking that just setting the data to nil is the same as deleting it. While it often has the same effect in practice, RemoveAsync is the "official" way to do it. It tells Roblox's backend that the key itself should be discarded.
Another pitfall is not accounting for DataStore Scopes. If you used scopes when you originally set up your data (which a lot of people do to organize things), you have to specify that scope when you call GetDataStore. If you don't, you're looking in the "global" scope, and you won't find the player's data if it's tucked away in a specific folder.
Lastly, double-check your UserId. It sounds obvious, but when you're tired and looking at a string of ten digits, it's easy to swap a 7 for a 1. Copy and paste is your best friend here.
Testing Your Script
How do you know it actually worked? Before you run the delete command, run a GetAsync on that same key and print it to the output. If it shows the player's data, you know you have the right key. Run your roblox delete request script, then run that same GetAsync again. If it returns nil, you're golden.
It's a simple "before and after" check, but it gives you the peace of mind that you actually fulfilled the request and didn't just shout into the void.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, dealing with a roblox delete request script is just part of the job. It's not the most glamorous part of game dev, but it's part of the ecosystem. Roblox gives us this cool platform to build on, and in return, we have to play by the rules regarding user privacy.
Once you have a solid script or a workflow in place, it becomes second nature. You get the message, you run the script, you confirm it's gone, and you get back to the fun stuff—like figuring out why your physics engine is launching players into the stratosphere. Keep your DataStores organized, keep your scripts clean, and these requests won't be anything more than a two-minute blip in your day.