# deletionRanges(for:direction:destination:allowsDecomposition:) Returns the ranges for deleting the text based on the current selection and movement arguments. ``` func deletionRanges(for textSelection: NSTextSelection, direction: NSTextSelectionNavigation.Direction, destination: NSTextSelectionNavigation.Destination, allowsDecomposition: Bool) -> [NSTextRange] ``` ## Parameters `textSelection` The text selection. `direction` The [`NSTextSelectionNavigation.Direction`](/documentation/UIKit/NSTextSelectionNavigation/Direction) to consider when calculating the deletion ranges. `destination` The [`NSTextSelectionNavigation.Destination`](/documentation/UIKit/NSTextSelectionNavigation/Destination) that describes the scope of the text selection to consider when calculating the deletion ranges. `allowsDecomposition` A Boolean value that determines if this method operates on composite characters which may be present depending on the characteristics of the script used by `textSelection`. ## Return Value An array of text ranges to delete. ## Discussion The selection after deletion contains a zero-length range starting at the location of the first range returned. The framework ignores the destination when `textSelection` has a non-empty selection. The `allowsDecomposition` parameter only applies to the [`NSTextSelectionNavigation.Direction.backward`](/documentation/UIKit/NSTextSelectionNavigation/Direction/backward) direction and [`NSTextSelectionNavigation.Destination.character`](/documentation/UIKit/NSTextSelectionNavigation/Destination/character) with a zero-length selection. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)