How to delete a Master Project in AEMaaCS?

[zen_____]

I would like to delete a Master Project in AEMaaCS but it seems like that option does not exist. If I mark a Master Project as inactive, it still displays in the Project Master dropdown when using the Update Language Copies functionality from Sites. I am an administrator and owner of the Master Project in question.

Is there a way to delete an unused Master Project?

[SantoshSai]

Hi @zen_____,

It appears that Master Projects cannot be deleted directly via the Projects UI, as they are closely tied to translation configurations and language copies. Simply marking them as inactive does not remove them.

According to Adobe’s documentation,

“Deleting a master project results in unusable derived projects.
Before deleting a master project, ensure that all derived projects are completed and removed from AEM. Be sure to save any required project data before removing the derived projects. Once all derived projects are removed, the master project can safely be deleted.”

Also, could you clarify whether you are referring to the OOTB (Out-of-the-Box) Master Project or a custom Master Project that you created?

[zen_____]

Even a brand new created Master Project (no derived projects have been created from it yet), there is no option to delete it. It looks like @VishalKa5 's answer is correct - there is no way to delete it and we have to work around it by renaming it.

[BrianKasingli]

You cannot delete a Master Project from the Projects console while it has derived language projects active. Even marking it inactive won’t remove it from language-copy controls like the "Update Language Copies" dropdown.

To effectively remove a Master Project in AEMaaCS, you first need to complete and delete all of its derived projects, such as language copies or translations. A Master Project cannot be deleted until every associated language copy has been removed or dissociated.

Once all derived projects are gone, you can return to the Projects console, switch to selection mode, choose the Master Project, and delete it. Confirming this action will remove the project from the user interface.

After the Master Project itself has been deleted, it is recommended to clean up any leftover security groups that were created for it, such as “MyProject Owners” or “MyProject Editors.” These groups remain in the system even after the project is deleted and can be removed manually by navigating to Tools → Security → Groups.

[VishalKa5 · Accepted solution]

Hi @zen_____ ,

In AEM as a Cloud Service, you can’t directly delete a Master Project, even if you're the admin or owner. Marking it as inactive doesn't remove it from dropdowns like the one in the Update Language Copies feature—it still shows up there. A common workaround is to rename the project to something like "DoNotUse_ProjectName" so others know not to select it. If the project really needs to be removed completely, your best option is to reach out to Adobe Support for help with a proper backend cleanup.

Thanks & Regards,

Vishal