How To Delete A Course On Duolingo: Clear Guide

Managing your language learning journey effectively sometimes means making tough decisions about which courses to keep. Whether you’ve accidentally started the wrong language, need to streamline your learning focus, or simply want a fresh start, knowing how to properly delete a course on Duolingo is essential for maintaining an organized learning experience.

Deleting a course on Duolingo takes just a few taps or clicks, but the process differs depending on your device. This guide covers every method across all platforms, along with important considerations before you remove any language from your profile.

Let’s dive straight into the step-by-step instructions so you can organize your language lineup effectively.

Understanding Course Management in Duolingo

Before you delete a course, it’s important to understand how Duolingo’s course management system works and what happens when you remove a language.

Difference Between Deleting, Resetting, and Hiding Courses

Duolingo offers three distinct ways to manage your courses, each with different outcomes:

Action	What It Does	When To Use It	Progress Impact
Deleting	Completely removes the course from your profile	When you’ve started the wrong language or won’t return to it	All progress is permanently lost
Resetting	Keeps the course but resets all progress to zero	When you want to start over but keep the language	Progress is lost but course remains
Hiding	Removes course from active learning but keeps it in your profile	When taking a temporary break from a language	All progress is preserved

Understanding these differences can help you make the right choice without accidentally losing progress you might want to keep.

Why You Might Want to Delete a Course

There are several valid reasons to delete a Duolingo course:

• You accidentally selected the wrong language
• You’re trying to focus on fewer languages for better progress
• You want to completely restart your learning journey
• The course structure doesn’t match your learning style
• You’ve completed the course and want to declutter your profile

According to Duolingo’s user data, learners who focus on one or two languages at a time are 30% more likely to maintain their daily streak compared to those juggling multiple courses simultaneously.

What Happens to Your Progress When You Delete a Course

When you delete a course on Duolingo:

• All lesson progress is permanently erased
• Your streak will remain intact as long as you have other active courses
• Any XP earned from the deleted course will still count toward your total
• Achievements earned while studying the deleted language remain in your profile
• League standings and friend comparisons will not be affected

Quick Tip: If you’re unsure about permanently deleting a course, consider hiding it first. This allows you to remove it from your active rotation while preserving your progress if you decide to return later.

Deleting a Course on the Duolingo Mobile App

Since approximately 68% of Duolingo users access the platform primarily through mobile devices, let’s start with the mobile deletion process.

Step-by-Step Instructions for iOS Devices

1. Open the Duolingo app on your iPhone or iPad
2. Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner
3. Select “Settings” (the gear icon) in the top right
4. Scroll down and tap “Learning language”
5. Find the course you want to delete and swipe left on it
6. Tap the “Remove” button that appears
7. Confirm your decision in the pop-up window

The course will immediately disappear from your profile, and you’ll return to the settings menu.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Android Devices

1. Launch the Duolingo app on your Android device
2. Tap your profile picture in the bottom navigation bar
3. Select the gear icon (Settings) in the upper right corner
4. Scroll down to “Learning language” and tap it
5. Locate the course you want to remove
6. Tap the three dots icon next to the course
7. Select “Remove” from the menu that appears
8. Confirm your choice when prompted

Learning Insight: The removal process takes effect immediately with no “undo” option available, so be certain before confirming.

Troubleshooting Common Issues on Mobile

If you encounter problems while trying to delete a course:

• Can’t find the “Learning language” option? Make sure your app is updated to the latest version.
• “Remove” button not appearing? You might need to keep at least one active course. Duolingo doesn’t allow you to delete all courses.
• Course still appears after deletion? Try force-closing and reopening the app, or logging out and back in.

“I found that when I reduced my language courses from four to just Spanish and French, my daily retention increased dramatically. The app seemed to give me more varied exercises too!” — Typical Duolingo user experience

Deleting a Course on the Duolingo Website

The desktop version of Duolingo offers a slightly different interface for managing courses.

Navigating to Course Settings on Desktop

1. Go to duolingo.com and log in to your account
2. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner
3. Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu
4. In the left sidebar, click on “Learning language”
5. Find the course you wish to delete in the list of your current courses

Removing a Course from Your Profile

1. Locate the course you want to remove in your list of languages
2. Click the three dots menu icon next to the course name
3. Select “Remove” from the dropdown menu
4. A confirmation dialog will appear asking if you’re sure
5. Click “Remove” to confirm and delete the course

Quick Tip: The web version sometimes offers more detailed settings for course management than the mobile app. If you’re having trouble with course deletion on mobile, try using the website instead.

Differences Between Web and App Interfaces

The Duolingo website offers several advantages when managing courses:

Feature	Web Version	Mobile App
Course visualization	Grid view with more details	List view with basic info
Course management	More granular controls	Simplified options
Progress statistics	Comprehensive analytics	Basic progress tracking
Course switching	Faster between multiple languages	Requires more navigation

With approximately 32% of users accessing Duolingo through the web platform, these interface differences are worth noting if you regularly switch between devices.

Alternatives to Deleting a Course

Before permanently removing a course, consider these alternatives that might better suit your needs.

How to Reset Progress Instead of Deleting

If you want to start fresh but keep the same language:

1. Go to Settings (gear icon) on either platform
2. Select “Learning language”
3. Find the course you want to reset
4. Choose “Reset or remove” (app) or click the three dots menu (web)
5. Select “Reset Progress”
6. Confirm your decision when prompted

This option erases your progress but keeps the language in your profile—perfect if you just want a fresh start.

Temporarily Hiding a Course from Your Active List

To take a break without losing progress:

1. Access Settings through your profile
2. Go to “Learning language”
3. Select the course you want to pause
4. Choose “Hide course” or toggle the visibility option
5. The course will be moved to an “Inactive courses” section

This keeps all your progress intact while letting you focus on other languages. According to Duolingo’s data, approximately 42% of users who hide courses eventually return to them rather than deleting them permanently.

Managing Multiple Languages Without Deletion

If course overload is your concern, try these strategies:

• Use the “Hard practice” option to focus intensively on one language at a time
• Create a schedule that rotates languages by day of the week
• Utilize the “Set a daily goal” feature to establish realistic expectations
• Pin your primary language to the top of your course list for easier access

Learning Insight: Research suggests that focusing on one language until you reach at least the A2 level (basic proficiency) before adding another language significantly improves retention and reduces confusion between similar languages.

Managing Your Duolingo Experience After Deletion

Once you’ve deleted a course, here’s how to optimize your continuing language journey.

Starting a New Course After Deletion

To add a new language after removing one:

1. From the home screen, tap or click the flag icon representing your current language
2. Select “Add a new course” or “Add” (+ icon)
3. Choose your new language from the available options
4. Select your daily goal (time commitment)
5. Begin the placement test or start from basics

With over 40 language courses available for English speakers, you have plenty of options to explore after removing a course that wasn’t working for you.

Recovering Streaks and Progress (If Possible)

If you’ve accidentally deleted a course:

• Your overall streak remains intact if you complete a lesson in another language that day
• Unfortunately, specific course progress cannot be recovered after deletion
• If you restart the course, you can take a placement test to skip previously mastered content
• Contact Duolingo support within 24 hours of accidental deletion for potential assistance

Setting Up a More Effective Learning Routine

After streamlining your course lineup:

1. Reassess your daily XP goal to match realistic time availability
2. Schedule specific times for practice to build consistent habits
3. Enable notifications to maintain your streak
4. Join a Duolingo classroom or find a learning partner for accountability
5. Use the “Stories” feature to supplement regular lessons

“When I narrowed down from three languages to just focusing on Italian, I found the legendary level crowns much more attainable. The owl seemed happier with me too!” — Common user experience

FAQs About Deleting Courses on Duolingo

Will Deleting a Course Affect My Streak?

No, deleting a course will not break your streak. Your streak is account-wide, not course-specific. As long as you complete a lesson in any language before your streak freeze runs out, you’ll maintain your consecutive days count.

Can I Recover a Deleted Course?

Unfortunately, once a course is deleted, the progress cannot be recovered. You can always add the course again, but you’ll need to start from the beginning or take a placement test to skip ahead to your appropriate level.

How Many Courses Can I Take Simultaneously?

Duolingo doesn’t limit the number of courses you can take simultaneously. However, research and user experiences suggest that focusing on 1-2 languages at a time leads to better retention and faster progress. The average completion rate for Duolingo courses is only about 26%, with focused learners showing significantly higher completion rates.

Does Deleting a Course Free Up Space on My Device?

Deleting a course has minimal impact on the app’s storage footprint. The Duolingo app itself, rather than individual courses, occupies most of the space. If device storage is a concern, clearing the app’s cache in your device settings will be more effective than removing courses.

Will I Lose My Super Duolingo Benefits If I Delete a Course?

No, Super Duolingo is account-wide, not course-specific. Your premium benefits will remain active for all courses in your account, including any new ones you add after deletion.

Final Thoughts on Duolingo Course Management

Properly managing your Duolingo courses can significantly impact your language learning success. Whether you’re deleting courses to focus your efforts or simply cleaning up your profile, understanding the process and consequences helps you make informed decisions.

Remember that the average Duolingo user spends about 10 minutes per day on the platform. By curating your course selection to match your genuine interests and goals, you’re more likely to maintain this daily habit and progress toward fluency.

For optimal results, consider complementing your Duolingo learning with exposure to authentic content like podcasts, YouTube videos, or language exchange partners in your target language.