> [!CAUTION]
> **Caution:** HMAC keys cannot be recovered once you delete them.

To delete an HMAC key for the specified service account, make a `POST` request
that is scoped to a project. The authenticated user must have
`storage.hmacKeys.delete` permission for the project from which the key will be deleted.
An HMAC key must be in an inactive state in order to delete it.

For general information about HMAC keys in Cloud Storage, see
[HMAC Keys](https://docs.cloud.google.com/storage/docs/authentication/hmackeys.md.txt).

## HTTP Request

```
POST https://storage.googleapis.com/?Action=DeleteAccessKey&AccessKeyId=AccessKeyId
```

### Query string parameters

| Parameter | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| `Action` | The HMAC key operation to be performed. | Yes |
| `AccessKeyId` | Access ID for the HMAC key to be deleted. | Yes |

## Request headers

Use the [common request headers](https://docs.cloud.google.com/storage/docs/xml-api/post-hmac-key.md.txt#request-headers).

## Response

If successful, this method returns a response body with the following structure:

```
<DeleteAccessKeyResponse>
 <ResponseMetadata>
    <RequestId>EXAMPLE-REQUEST-ID</RequestId>
 </ResponseMetadata>
</DeleteAccessKeyResponse>
```

| Parameter name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `RequestId` | `string` | Unique ID for the request. |