diff --git a/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obiview.pxd b/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obiview.pxd
index 278f864..0c7e64a 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obiview.pxd
+++ b/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obiview.pxd
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ cdef extern from "obiview.h" nogil:
                             const_char_p comments,
                             bint create)
 
-    int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const_char_p column_name)
+    int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const_char_p column_name, bint delete_file)
             
     OBIDMS_column_p obi_view_get_column(Obiview_p view, const_char_p column_name)
 
diff --git a/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pxd b/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pxd
index d83575b..b535bd1 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pxd
+++ b/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pxd
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ cdef class View(OBIWrapper):
     cdef inline Obiview_p pointer(self)   
         
     cpdef delete_column(self, 
-                        object column_name)
+                        object column_name,
+                        bint delete_file=*)
     
     cpdef rename_column(self, 
                         object current_name, 
diff --git a/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pyx b/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pyx
index 8e3a344..a35ac39 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pyx
+++ b/python/obitools3/dms/view/view.pyx
@@ -227,7 +227,8 @@ cdef class View(OBIWrapper) :
 
     
     cpdef delete_column(self, 
-                        object column_name) :
+                        object column_name,
+                        bint delete_file=False) :
 
         cdef bytes column_name_b = tobytes(column_name)
 
@@ -239,7 +240,7 @@ cdef class View(OBIWrapper) :
         col.close()
         
         # Remove the column from the view which closes the C structure
-        if obi_view_delete_column(self.pointer(), column_name_b) < 0 :
+        if obi_view_delete_column(self.pointer(), column_name_b, delete_file) < 0 :
             raise RollbackException("Problem deleting column %s from a view",
                             bytes2str(column_name_b), self)
 
@@ -307,7 +308,7 @@ cdef class View(OBIWrapper) :
                 new_column[i] = old_column[i]
 
         # Remove old column from view
-        self.delete_column(column_name_b)
+        self.delete_column(column_name_b, delete_file=True)
 
         # Rename new
         new_column.name = column_name_b
diff --git a/src/obiview.c b/src/obiview.c
index 292fa18..5aa2212 100755
--- a/src/obiview.c
+++ b/src/obiview.c
@@ -2380,11 +2380,12 @@ int obi_view_add_column(Obiview_p    view,
 }
 
 
-int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const char* column_name)
+int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const char* column_name, bool delete_file)
 {
 	int  i;
 	bool found;
 	OBIDMS_column_p column;
+	char* col_to_delete_path;
 
 	// Check that the view is not read-only
 	if (view->read_only)
@@ -2406,8 +2407,31 @@ int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const char* column_name)
 				obidebug(1, "\nError getting a column from the linked list of column pointers of a view when deleting a column from a view");
 				return -1;
 			}
+			// Keep column path if need to delete the file
+			if (delete_file)
+			{
+				col_to_delete_path = obi_column_full_path(view->dms, column->header->name, column->header->version);
+				if (col_to_delete_path == NULL)
+				{
+					obidebug(1, "\nError getting a column file path when deleting a column");
+					return -1;
+				}
+			}
 
 			obi_close_column(column);
+
+			// Delete file if needed
+			if (delete_file)
+			{
+				if (remove(col_to_delete_path) < 0)
+				{
+					obi_set_errno(OBICOL_UNKNOWN_ERROR);
+					obidebug(1, "\nError deleting a column file when deleting unfinished columns: file %s", col_to_delete_path);
+					return -1;
+				}
+				free(col_to_delete_path);
+			}
+
 			view->columns = ll_delete(view->columns, i);
 			// TODO how do we check for error? NULL can be empty list
 			found = true;
@@ -3047,7 +3071,7 @@ int obi_create_auto_id_column(Obiview_p view, const char* prefix)
 	// Delete old ID column if it exists
 	if (obi_view_get_column(view, ID_COLUMN) != NULL)
 	{
-		if (obi_view_delete_column(view, ID_COLUMN) < 0)
+		if (obi_view_delete_column(view, ID_COLUMN, false) < 0)
 		{
 			obidebug(1, "Error deleting an ID column to replace it in a view");
 			return -1;
diff --git a/src/obiview.h b/src/obiview.h
index 4fe8c20..da6849a 100755
--- a/src/obiview.h
+++ b/src/obiview.h
@@ -440,6 +440,7 @@ int obi_view_add_column(Obiview_p    view,
  *
  * @param view A pointer on the view.
  * @param column_name The name of the column that should be deleted from the view.
+ * @param delete_file Whether the column file should be deleted. Use carefully re: dependencies.
  *
  * @returns A value indicating the success of the operation.
  * @retval 0 if the operation was successfully completed.
@@ -448,7 +449,7 @@ int obi_view_add_column(Obiview_p    view,
  * @since February 2016
  * @author Celine Mercier (celine.mercier@metabarcoding.org)
  */
-int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const char* column_name);
+int obi_view_delete_column(Obiview_p view, const char* column_name, bool delete_file);
 
 
 /**