How to clear entire document content using Google Docs API

Other Questions Google docs
1

I’m working with the Google Docs API and trying to remove all text from a document. I found the deleteContentRange method which works like this:

{
  "operations": [
    {
      "removeTextRange": {
        "section": {
          "beginIndex": 1,
          "finalIndex": 50
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

The problem happens when my finalIndex value exceeds the actual document length. I get this error:

{
  "error": {
    "code": 400,
    "message": "Invalid operations[0].removeTextRange: Index 49 must be less than the end index of the referenced section, 12.",
    "status": "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
  }
}

I want to wipe out everything in the document but I don’t know how long it is beforehand. Is there a way to find the document length first, or maybe use a different approach to clear all content at once?

2

just use a big number for finalIndex, like 999999. the api usually truncates it to the actual doc length without errors. works for me most of the time when clearing docs.

3

Had this exact problem last year building a document processing tool. Easiest fix: use documents.get first to grab the content length, then plug that into your deleteContentRange call. The document object gives you an endIndex property that shows exactly where content ends. Or just use replaceAllText instead - replace everything with an empty string using a regex like “.*” or “.+”. Skips the index math completely and works every time regardless of document size. I’ve found replaceAllText way more reliable than trying to calculate ranges yourself.

4

I’ve hit the same problem with batch processing. Here’s what works: make two API calls. First, use documents.get to fetch the document - this gives you the body content with correct endIndex values. Then take that endIndex minus 1 for your deleteContentRange operation. The document’s body.content array has elements with startIndex and endIndex properties. Just grab the last element’s endIndex as your boundary. This stops those index overflow errors and works reliably no matter how long the document is. The extra API call is worth it - beats dealing with failed operations and messy error handling.