diff --git a/app/src/actions/clearTopic.ts b/app/src/actions/clearTopic.ts
index 71874f3..f5d4ee7 100644
--- a/app/src/actions/clearTopic.ts
+++ b/app/src/actions/clearTopic.ts
@@ -5,14 +5,12 @@ import { makePublishEvent, rendererEvents } from '../../../events'
 import { moveSelectionUpOrDownwards } from './visibleTreeTraversal'
 import { globalActions } from '.'
 
-export const clearTopic = (topic: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean, subtopicClearLimit = 50) => async (
+export const clearTopic = (topic: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean) => async (
   dispatch: Dispatch<any>,
   getState: () => AppState
 ) => {
   if (recursive) {
     const topicCount = topic.childTopicCount()
-    const deleteLimitMessage =
-      topicCount > subtopicClearLimit ? ` You can only delete ${subtopicClearLimit} child topics at once.` : ''
 
     const topicDelta = topic.hasMessage() ? -1 : 0
     const childTopicsMessage =
@@ -23,7 +21,7 @@ export const clearTopic = (topic: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean, subtopicC
     const confirmed = await dispatch(
       globalActions.requestConfirmation(
         'Confirm delete',
-        `Do you want to delete "${topic.path()}"${childTopicsMessage}?${deleteLimitMessage}`
+        `Do you want to delete "${topic.path()}"${childTopicsMessage}?`
       )
     )
     if (!confirmed) {
@@ -38,27 +36,19 @@ export const clearTopic = (topic: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean, subtopicC
     return
   }
   const publishEvent = makePublishEvent(connectionId)
-  const mqttMessage = {
-    topic: topic.path(),
-    payload: null,
-    retain: true,
-    qos: 0 as 0,
-  }
-  rendererEvents.emit(publishEvent, mqttMessage)
-  if (recursive) {
-    topic
-      .childTopics()
-      .filter(topic => Boolean(topic.message && topic.message.value))
-      .slice(0, subtopicClearLimit)
-      .forEach((topic, idx) => {
-        const mqttMessage = {
-          topic: topic.path(),
-          payload: null,
-          retain: true,
-          qos: 0 as 0,
-        }
-        // Rate limit deletion
-        setTimeout(() => rendererEvents.emit(publishEvent, mqttMessage), 20 * idx)
-      })
-  }
+  const topicsForPurging = recursive ? [topic, ...topic.childTopics()] : [topic]
+
+  topicsForPurging
+    .filter(t => t.path() !== '' && t.hasMessage())
+    .map(t => t.path())
+    .forEach((path, idx) => {
+      const mqttMessage = {
+        topic: path,
+        payload: null,
+        retain: true,
+        qos: 0 as 0,
+      }
+      // Rate limit deletion
+      setTimeout(() => rendererEvents.emit(publishEvent, mqttMessage), 20 * idx)
+    })
 }
diff --git a/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/RecursiveTopicDeleteButton.tsx b/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/RecursiveTopicDeleteButton.tsx
index 2cb32a2..66a3f63 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/RecursiveTopicDeleteButton.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/RecursiveTopicDeleteButton.tsx
@@ -13,25 +13,23 @@ export const RecursiveTopicDeleteButton = (props: {
       if (props.node) {
         event.stopPropagation()
         event.preventDefault()
-        props.deleteTopicAction(props.node, true, deleteLimit)
+        props.deleteTopicAction(props.node, true, Infinity)
       }
     },
     [props.node]
   )
+
   if (!props.node) {
     return null
   }
-  const deleteLimit = 50
+
   const topicCount = props.node ? props.node.childTopicCount() : 0
   if (topicCount === 0 || (props.node.message && topicCount === 1)) {
     return null
   }
   return (
-    <Badge
-      badgeContent={<span style={{ whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>{topicCount >= deleteLimit ? '50+' : topicCount}</span>}
-      color="secondary"
-    >
-      <CustomIconButton onClick={onClick} tooltip={`Deletes up to ${deleteLimit} sub-topics with a single click`}>
+    <Badge badgeContent={<span style={{ whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>{topicCount}</span>} color="secondary">
+      <CustomIconButton onClick={onClick} tooltip={`Deletes ${topicCount} sub-topics with a single click`}>
         <Delete color="action" />
       </CustomIconButton>
     </Badge>
diff --git a/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/TopicPanel.tsx b/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/TopicPanel.tsx
index 8507dc1..d42b34b 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/TopicPanel.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/Sidebar/TopicPanel/TopicPanel.tsx
@@ -14,12 +14,12 @@ const TopicPanel = (props: { node?: q.TreeNode<any>; actions: typeof sidebarActi
   console.log(node && node.path())
   const copyTopic = node ? <Copy value={node.path()} /> : null
 
-  const deleteTopic = useCallback((topic?: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean = false, maxCount = 50) => {
+  const deleteTopic = useCallback((topic?: q.TreeNode<any>, recursive: boolean = false) => {
     if (!topic) {
       return
     }
 
-    props.actions.clearTopic(topic, recursive, maxCount)
+    props.actions.clearTopic(topic, recursive)
   }, [])
 
   return useMemo(
diff --git a/app/src/components/Tree/TreeNode/effects/useDeleteKeyCallback.tsx b/app/src/components/Tree/TreeNode/effects/useDeleteKeyCallback.tsx
index 6eefe0d..e662180 100644
--- a/app/src/components/Tree/TreeNode/effects/useDeleteKeyCallback.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/Tree/TreeNode/effects/useDeleteKeyCallback.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export function useDeleteKeyCallback(topic: q.TreeNode<any>, actions: typeof tre
       if (event.keyCode === KeyCodes.delete || event.keyCode === KeyCodes.backspace) {
         event.stopPropagation()
         event.preventDefault()
-        actions.clearTopic(topic, true, 50)
+        actions.clearTopic(topic, true)
       }
     },
     [topic]