In this article, you'll learn how to remove a phone number from your account, when our Support team needs to do it for you, and what happens afterwards.
User level: Admin
Before you remove a number
Removing a number is permanent. When it's removed:
Its call flow is deleted.
The number can't be restored.
Billing stops from your next billing cycle. You're still billed for the current cycle, and there's no prorated credit for the days left.
If you need to keep call logs, call recordings, or SMS and WhatsApp messages from this number, ask Support for an export before the number is removed.
Remove a number
Go to Numbers in the Dashboard.
Find the number and click Remove.
What happens next depends on the number.
If you see "This number needs to be removed manually"
Most numbers show this message at the moment. It means the number isn't linked to a subscription on your account, usually because it was bought a long time ago, so our Support team removes it for you.
Click Contact Support in the message, or contact Support directly with the number in full international format (for example, +442012345678). Billing continues until Support confirms the removal, so reply to any follow-up questions from them quickly.
If you can remove it directly
Review the warning. It lists the agents who have this number as their default or assigned number, and any Voice Agents using it as their default or failover number.
Choose a reason for removing it.
Confirm.
Reassign affected users
CloudTalk doesn't reassign users automatically yet. Once a number is removed, open the settings of each user who had it as their default or assigned number and give them a different one. Check any Voice Agents that used the number too.
Replace a number with a new one
Buy the new number first.
Update your call forwarding, website, business listings and CRM to use it.
Once the new number is working, remove the old one using the steps above.
A number you buy in the same billing cycle can use the slot freed by the removed one.
If you removed your account's free number
Every account includes one number at no monthly cost. If that number is removed, its free status doesn't move to another number automatically. Contact Support to make one of your remaining numbers the free one.
Turn off outbound calling or SMS instead
If you want to keep a number but limit how it's used, Support can switch off outbound calling or SMS on that number:
Outbound off: agents can't use the number as their caller ID. Inbound calls still work, and billing continues.
SMS off: the number stops sending and receiving SMS. Calls still work.
Neither has a Dashboard toggle. To turn them off or back on, contact Support with the number in full international format.
Need help or have a question? Just reach out through our Support portal.