diff --git a/pkg/services/dashboards/database/database.go b/pkg/services/dashboards/database/database.go
index 9cc41027d27..c72d1932080 100644
--- a/pkg/services/dashboards/database/database.go
+++ b/pkg/services/dashboards/database/database.go
@@ -594,24 +594,31 @@ func (d *dashboardStore) deleteDashboard(cmd *dashboards.DeleteDashboardCommand,
 		return dashboards.ErrDashboardNotFound
 	}
 
-	deletes := []string{
-		"DELETE FROM dashboard_tag WHERE dashboard_id = ? ",
-		"DELETE FROM star WHERE dashboard_id = ? ",
-		"DELETE FROM dashboard WHERE id = ?",
-		"DELETE FROM playlist_item WHERE type = 'dashboard_by_id' AND value = ?",
-		"DELETE FROM dashboard_version WHERE dashboard_id = ?",
-		"DELETE FROM dashboard_provisioning WHERE dashboard_id = ?",
-		"DELETE FROM dashboard_acl WHERE dashboard_id = ?",
+	type statement struct {
+		SQL  string
+		args []any
+	}
+
+	sqlStatements := []statement{
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard_tag WHERE dashboard_id = ? ", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM star WHERE dashboard_id = ? ", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard WHERE id = ?", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM playlist_item WHERE type = 'dashboard_by_id' AND value = ?", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard_version WHERE dashboard_id = ?", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard_provisioning WHERE dashboard_id = ?", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
+		{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard_acl WHERE dashboard_id = ?", args: []any{dashboard.ID}},
 	}
 
 	if dashboard.IsFolder {
-		// if this is a soft delete, we need to skip children deletion.
-		if !d.features.IsEnabledGlobally(featuremgmt.FlagDashboardRestore) && !cmd.SkipSoftDeletedDashboards {
-			deletes = append(deletes, "DELETE FROM dashboard WHERE folder_id = ? AND deleted IS NULL")
+		if !d.features.IsEnabledGlobally(featuremgmt.FlagDashboardRestore) {
+			sqlStatements = append(sqlStatements, statement{SQL: "DELETE FROM dashboard WHERE org_id = ? AND folder_uid = ? AND is_folder = ? AND deleted IS NULL", args: []any{dashboard.OrgID, dashboard.UID, d.store.GetDialect().BooleanStr(false)}})
 
 			if err := d.deleteChildrenDashboardAssociations(sess, &dashboard); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+		} else {
+			// soft delete all dashboards in the folder
+			sqlStatements = append(sqlStatements, statement{SQL: "UPDATE dashboard SET deleted = ? WHERE org_id = ? AND folder_uid = ? AND is_folder = ? ", args: []any{time.Now(), dashboard.OrgID, dashboard.UID, d.store.GetDialect().BooleanStr(false)}})
 		}
 
 		// remove all access control permission with folder scope
@@ -630,8 +637,8 @@ func (d *dashboardStore) deleteDashboard(cmd *dashboards.DeleteDashboardCommand,
 		return err
 	}
 
-	for _, sql := range deletes {
-		_, err := sess.Exec(sql, dashboard.ID)
+	for _, stmnt := range sqlStatements {
+		_, err := sess.Exec(append([]any{stmnt.SQL}, stmnt.args...)...)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/services/dashboards/models.go b/pkg/services/dashboards/models.go
index 97d44731848..30fae0deafc 100644
--- a/pkg/services/dashboards/models.go
+++ b/pkg/services/dashboards/models.go
@@ -224,11 +224,10 @@ type DashboardProvisioning struct {
 }
 
 type DeleteDashboardCommand struct {
-	ID                        int64
-	UID                       string
-	OrgID                     int64
-	ForceDeleteFolderRules    bool
-	SkipSoftDeletedDashboards bool
+	ID                     int64
+	UID                    string
+	OrgID                  int64
+	ForceDeleteFolderRules bool
 }
 
 type DeleteOrphanedProvisionedDashboardsCommand struct {
diff --git a/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder.go b/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder.go
index 6f9f7cb560b..bd1e5955bdd 100644
--- a/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder.go
+++ b/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder.go
@@ -852,16 +852,10 @@ func (s *Service) deleteChildrenInFolder(ctx context.Context, orgID int64, folde
 }
 
 func (s *Service) legacyDelete(ctx context.Context, cmd *folder.DeleteFolderCommand, folderUIDs []string) error {
-	if s.features.IsEnabledGlobally(featuremgmt.FlagDashboardRestore) {
-		if err := s.dashboardStore.SoftDeleteDashboardsInFolders(ctx, cmd.OrgID, folderUIDs); err != nil {
-			return toFolderError(err)
-		}
-	}
 	// TODO use bulk delete
 	for _, folderUID := range folderUIDs {
-		// only hard delete the folder representation in the dashboard store
 		// nolint:staticcheck
-		deleteCmd := dashboards.DeleteDashboardCommand{OrgID: cmd.OrgID, UID: folderUID, ForceDeleteFolderRules: cmd.ForceDeleteRules, SkipSoftDeletedDashboards: true}
+		deleteCmd := dashboards.DeleteDashboardCommand{OrgID: cmd.OrgID, UID: folderUID, ForceDeleteFolderRules: cmd.ForceDeleteRules}
 		if err := s.dashboardStore.DeleteDashboard(ctx, &deleteCmd); err != nil {
 			return toFolderError(err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder_test.go b/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder_test.go
index e11a5c031e9..3f03d6a99f4 100644
--- a/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder_test.go
+++ b/pkg/services/folder/folderimpl/folder_test.go
@@ -291,11 +291,6 @@ func TestIntegrationFolderService(t *testing.T) {
 				}).Return(nil).Once()
 				service.features = featuremgmt.WithFeatures(featuremgmt.FlagDashboardRestore)
 
-				var folderUids []string
-				dashStore.On("SoftDeleteDashboardsInFolders", mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Run(func(args mock.Arguments) {
-					folderUids = args.Get(2).([]string)
-				}).Return(nil).Once()
-
 				expectedForceDeleteRules := false
 				err := service.Delete(context.Background(), &folder.DeleteFolderCommand{
 					UID:              f.UID,
@@ -307,7 +302,6 @@ func TestIntegrationFolderService(t *testing.T) {
 				require.NotNil(t, actualCmd)
 				require.Equal(t, orgID, actualCmd.OrgID)
 				require.Equal(t, expectedForceDeleteRules, actualCmd.ForceDeleteFolderRules)
-				require.Equal(t, f.UID, folderUids[0])
 			})
 
 			t.Run("When deleting folder by uid, expectedForceDeleteRules as true, and dashboard Restore turned on should not return access denied error", func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -321,11 +315,6 @@ func TestIntegrationFolderService(t *testing.T) {
 				}).Return(nil).Once()
 				service.features = featuremgmt.WithFeatures(featuremgmt.FlagDashboardRestore)
 
-				var folderUids []string
-				dashStore.On("SoftDeleteDashboardsInFolders", mock.Anything, mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Run(func(args mock.Arguments) {
-					folderUids = args.Get(2).([]string)
-				}).Return(nil).Once()
-
 				expectedForceDeleteRules := true
 				err := service.Delete(context.Background(), &folder.DeleteFolderCommand{
 					UID:              f.UID,
@@ -337,7 +326,6 @@ func TestIntegrationFolderService(t *testing.T) {
 				require.NotNil(t, actualCmd)
 				require.Equal(t, orgID, actualCmd.OrgID)
 				require.Equal(t, expectedForceDeleteRules, actualCmd.ForceDeleteFolderRules)
-				require.Equal(t, f.UID, folderUids[0])
 			})
 
 			t.Cleanup(func() {