Trigger: Prevent Account from Deleting if it has Opportunities associated to it.

Example:  Write a trigger logic to prevent Account from Deleting if it has Opportunities associated to it.

Solution

if(trigger.isBefore && trigger.isDelete) { 
    List<Opportunity> oppr = [SELECT Id , AccountId FROM Opportunity WHERE AccountId =: Trigger.old];
    if(!oppr.isEmpty() && oppr.size() > 0) { 
        for(Account newAccount : trigger.old) { 
            newAccount.addError('Connect delete as it has Opportunities');
        }
    }
}

Scenario

Sales teams often want to protect Accounts that already have deals. If someone deletes such an Account, its Opportunity history can be lost. This trigger stops the deletion and shows an error message instead.

How the code works

  1. The trigger runs in the before delete context, so it can block the delete before anything is removed.
  2. Trigger.old holds the Accounts the user is trying to delete.
  3. A SOQL query finds Opportunities whose AccountId matches those Accounts.
  4. If any Opportunity is found, addError() is called on the Account. This cancels the delete and shows the message to the user.

Limitations of the code above

  • Bulk deletes: if you delete 10 Accounts and only one has Opportunities, this version blocks all 10, because the error is added to every Account in the batch.
  • Operator: the query uses =: with a list. IN : is the correct operator for lists and is easier to read.
  • Message: the error text is unclear. “Cannot delete this Account because it has related Opportunities.” is better for users.
  • Redundant check: !oppr.isEmpty() and oppr.size() > 0 mean the same thing.

Improved version (bulk-safe)

trigger AccountTrigger on Account (before delete) {
    Set<Id> accountsWithOpps = new Set<Id>();

    for (AggregateResult ar : [
        SELECT AccountId
        FROM Opportunity
        WHERE AccountId IN :Trigger.oldMap.keySet()
        GROUP BY AccountId
    ]) {
        accountsWithOpps.add((Id) ar.get('AccountId'));
    }

    for (Account acc : Trigger.old) {
        if (accountsWithOpps.contains(acc.Id)) {
            acc.addError('Cannot delete this Account because it has related Opportunities.');
        }
    }
}

This blocks only the Accounts that have Opportunities, and uses one query no matter how many Accounts are deleted.

How to test

  1. Create an Account with one Opportunity and try to delete it. You should see the error.
  2. Create an Account with no Opportunities and delete it. It should delete normally.
  3. From a list view, select both Accounts and delete them together. Only the one with Opportunities should be blocked.

FAQ

Why use a before trigger?
addError() only prevents a record from saving or deleting when it is called before the database operation.

Does this work for bulk deletes from Data Loader?
Yes. Triggers run for bulk operations, which is why the improved version avoids a query inside a loop.

Can I do this without code?
Not reliably. Validation rules do not run on delete, so a trigger is the usual approach.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. shivam May 25, 2025 Reply

    trigger getAccountRelatedOpportunity on Account (before delete) {
    Set accountIdsToDelete = new Set();

    if (Trigger.isBefore && Trigger.isDelete) {
    for (Account acc : Trigger.old) {
    accountIdsToDelete.add(acc.Id);
    }

    // Query all Opportunities linked to the Accounts being deleted
    Set accountsWithOpportunities = new Set();
    for (Opportunity opp : [SELECT Id, AccountId FROM Opportunity WHERE AccountId IN :accountIdsToDelete]) {
    accountsWithOpportunities.add(opp.AccountId);
    }

    // Add error on Accounts that have related Opportunities
    for (Account acc : Trigger.old) {
    if (accountsWithOpportunities.contains(acc.Id)) {
    acc.addError(‘Cannot delete Account because related Opportunities exist.’);
    }
    }
    }
    }

  2. shivam May 25, 2025 Reply

    trigger getAccountRelatedOpportunity on Account (before delete) {
    Set accountIdsToDelete = new Set();

    if (Trigger.isBefore && Trigger.isDelete) {
    for (Account acc : Trigger.old) {
    accountIdsToDelete.add(acc.Id);
    }

    // Query all Opportunities linked to the Accounts being deleted
    Set accountsWithOpportunities = new Set();
    for (Opportunity opp : [SELECT Id, AccountId FROM Opportunity WHERE AccountId IN :accountIdsToDelete]) {
    accountsWithOpportunities.add(opp.AccountId);
    }

    // Add error on Accounts that have related Opportunities
    for (Account acc : Trigger.old) {
    if (accountsWithOpportunities.contains(acc.Id)) {
    acc.addError(‘Cannot delete Account because related Opportunities exist.’);
    }
    }
    }
    }

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