diff --git a/example/src/Basic/index.tsx b/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
index 74d0f69b..7db68b3c 100644
--- a/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
+++ b/example/src/Basic/index.tsx
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
     );
   };
 
+  const deleteElements = () => {
+    instance.deleteSelectedElements()
+  }
+
   return (
     <ReactFlow
       defaultNodes={initialNodes}
@@ -82,7 +86,8 @@ const BasicFlow = () => {
         <button onClick={toggleClassnames} style={{ marginRight: 5 }}>
           toggle classnames
         </button>
-        <button onClick={logToObject}>toObject</button>
+        <button onClick={logToObject} style={{ marginRight: 5 }}>toObject</button>
+        <button onClick={deleteElements}>delete selected elements</button>
       </div>
     </ReactFlow>
   );
diff --git a/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts b/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
index 8c9cb89d..e9574624 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useGlobalKeyHandler.ts
@@ -1,94 +1,27 @@
 import { useEffect } from 'react';
-import shallow from 'zustand/shallow';
 
-import { useStore, useStoreApi } from '../store';
+import { useStoreApi } from '../store';
 import useKeyPress from './useKeyPress';
-import { getConnectedEdges } from '../utils/graph';
-import { EdgeChange, KeyCode, NodeChange, Node, ReactFlowState } from '../types';
+import { KeyCode } from '../types';
+import useReactFlow from './useReactFlow';
 
 interface HookParams {
   deleteKeyCode: KeyCode | null;
   multiSelectionKeyCode: KeyCode | null;
 }
 
-const selector = (s: ReactFlowState) => ({
-  onNodesChange: s.onNodesChange,
-  onEdgesChange: s.onEdgesChange,
-});
-
 export default ({ deleteKeyCode, multiSelectionKeyCode }: HookParams): void => {
   const store = useStoreApi();
-  const { onNodesChange, onEdgesChange } = useStore(selector, shallow);
+  const { deleteSelectedElements } = useReactFlow();
 
   const deleteKeyPressed = useKeyPress(deleteKeyCode);
   const multiSelectionKeyPressed = useKeyPress(multiSelectionKeyCode);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    const { nodeInternals, edges, hasDefaultNodes, hasDefaultEdges, onNodesDelete, onEdgesDelete } = store.getState();
-    const nodes = Array.from(nodeInternals.values());
-    const nodesToRemove = nodes.reduce<Node[]>((res, node) => {
-      if (!node.selected && node.parentNode && res.find((n) => n.id === node.parentNode)) {
-        res.push(node);
-      } else if (node.selected) {
-        res.push(node);
-      }
-
-      return res;
-    }, []);
-    const selectedEdges = edges.filter((e) => e.selected);
-
-    if (deleteKeyPressed && (nodesToRemove || selectedEdges)) {
-      const connectedEdges = getConnectedEdges(nodesToRemove, edges);
-      const edgesToRemove = [...selectedEdges, ...connectedEdges];
-      const edgeIdsToRemove = edgesToRemove.reduce<string[]>((res, edge) => {
-        if (!res.includes(edge.id)) {
-          res.push(edge.id);
-        }
-        return res;
-      }, []);
-
-      if (hasDefaultEdges || hasDefaultNodes) {
-        if (hasDefaultEdges) {
-          store.setState({
-            edges: edges.filter((e) => !edgeIdsToRemove.includes(e.id)),
-          });
-        }
-
-        if (hasDefaultNodes) {
-          nodesToRemove.forEach((node) => {
-            nodeInternals.delete(node.id);
-          });
-
-          store.setState({
-            nodeInternals: new Map(nodeInternals),
-          });
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (edgeIdsToRemove.length > 0) {
-        onEdgesDelete?.(edgesToRemove);
-
-        if (onEdgesChange) {
-          const edgeChanges: EdgeChange[] = edgeIdsToRemove.map((id) => ({
-            id,
-            type: 'remove',
-          }));
-          onEdgesChange(edgeChanges);
-        }
-      }
-
-      if (nodesToRemove.length > 0) {
-        onNodesDelete?.(nodesToRemove);
-
-        if (onNodesChange) {
-          const nodeChanges: NodeChange[] = nodesToRemove.map((n) => ({ id: n.id, type: 'remove' }));
-          onNodesChange(nodeChanges);
-        }
-      }
-
-      store.setState({ nodesSelectionActive: false });
+    if (deleteKeyPressed) {
+      deleteSelectedElements();
     }
-  }, [deleteKeyPressed, onNodesChange, onEdgesChange]);
+  }, [deleteKeyPressed]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     store.setState({ multiSelectionActive: multiSelectionKeyPressed });
diff --git a/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts b/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
index 3bffe8fa..ab8bc54e 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useReactFlow.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
 
 import useViewportHelper from './useViewportHelper';
-import { useStoreApi } from '../store';
+import { useStore, useStoreApi } from '../store';
 import {
   ReactFlowInstance,
   Instance,
@@ -11,12 +11,25 @@ import {
   EdgeResetChange,
   NodeRemoveChange,
   EdgeRemoveChange,
+  ReactFlowState,
+  EdgeChange,
+  NodeChange,
+  Node,
 } from '../types';
+import { getConnectedEdges } from '../utils/graph';
+import shallow from 'zustand/shallow';
+
+const selector = (s: ReactFlowState) => ({
+  onNodesChange: s.onNodesChange,
+  onEdgesChange: s.onEdgesChange,
+});
 
 export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlowInstance<NodeData, EdgeData> {
   const viewportHelper = useViewportHelper();
   const store = useStoreApi();
 
+  const { onNodesChange, onEdgesChange } = useStore(selector, shallow);
+
   const getNodes = useCallback<Instance.GetNodes<NodeData>>(() => {
     const { nodeInternals } = store.getState();
     const nodes = Array.from(nodeInternals.values());
@@ -110,6 +123,73 @@ export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlo
     };
   }, []);
 
+  const deleteSelectedElements = useCallback<Instance.DeleteSelectedElements>(() => {
+    const { nodeInternals, edges, hasDefaultNodes, hasDefaultEdges, onNodesDelete, onEdgesDelete } = store.getState();
+    const nodes = Array.from(nodeInternals.values());
+    const nodesToRemove = nodes.reduce<Node[]>((res, node) => {
+      if (!node.selected && node.parentNode && res.find((n) => n.id === node.parentNode)) {
+        res.push(node);
+      } else if (node.selected) {
+        res.push(node);
+      }
+
+      return res;
+    }, []);
+    const selectedEdges = edges.filter((e) => e.selected);
+
+    if (nodesToRemove || selectedEdges) {
+      const connectedEdges = getConnectedEdges(nodesToRemove, edges);
+      const edgesToRemove = [...selectedEdges, ...connectedEdges];
+      const edgeIdsToRemove = edgesToRemove.reduce<string[]>((res, edge) => {
+        if (!res.includes(edge.id)) {
+          res.push(edge.id);
+        }
+        return res;
+      }, []);
+
+      if (hasDefaultEdges || hasDefaultNodes) {
+        if (hasDefaultEdges) {
+          store.setState({
+            edges: edges.filter((e) => !edgeIdsToRemove.includes(e.id)),
+          });
+        }
+
+        if (hasDefaultNodes) {
+          nodesToRemove.forEach((node) => {
+            nodeInternals.delete(node.id);
+          });
+
+          store.setState({
+            nodeInternals: new Map(nodeInternals),
+          });
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (edgeIdsToRemove.length > 0) {
+        onEdgesDelete?.(edgesToRemove);
+
+        if (onEdgesChange) {
+          const edgeChanges: EdgeChange[] = edgeIdsToRemove.map((id) => ({
+            id,
+            type: 'remove',
+          }));
+          onEdgesChange(edgeChanges);
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (nodesToRemove.length > 0) {
+        onNodesDelete?.(nodesToRemove);
+
+        if (onNodesChange) {
+          const nodeChanges: NodeChange[] = nodesToRemove.map((n) => ({ id: n.id, type: 'remove' }));
+          onNodesChange(nodeChanges);
+        }
+      }
+
+      store.setState({ nodesSelectionActive: false });
+    }
+  }, []);
+
   return useMemo(() => {
     return {
       ...viewportHelper,
@@ -122,6 +202,19 @@ export default function useReactFlow<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any>(): ReactFlo
       addNodes,
       addEdges,
       toObject,
+      deleteSelectedElements,
     };
-  }, [viewportHelper, getNodes, getNode, getEdges, getEdge, setNodes, setEdges, addNodes, addEdges, toObject]);
+  }, [
+    viewportHelper,
+    getNodes,
+    getNode,
+    getEdges,
+    getEdge,
+    setNodes,
+    setEdges,
+    addNodes,
+    addEdges,
+    toObject,
+    deleteSelectedElements,
+  ]);
 }
diff --git a/src/types/instance.ts b/src/types/instance.ts
index 14867f00..4d21af37 100644
--- a/src/types/instance.ts
+++ b/src/types/instance.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export namespace Instance {
   export type GetEdge<EdgeData> = (id: string) => Edge<EdgeData> | undefined;
   export type AddEdges<EdgeData> = (payload: Edge<EdgeData>[] | Edge<EdgeData>) => void;
   export type ToObject<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = () => ReactFlowJsonObject<NodeData, EdgeData>;
+  export type DeleteSelectedElements = () => void;
 }
 
 export type ReactFlowInstance<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = {
@@ -34,5 +35,6 @@ export type ReactFlowInstance<NodeData = any, EdgeData = any> = {
   addEdges: Instance.AddEdges<EdgeData>;
   getEdge: Instance.GetEdge<EdgeData>;
   toObject: Instance.ToObject<NodeData, EdgeData>;
+  deleteSelectedElements: Instance.DeleteSelectedElements;
   viewportInitialized: boolean;
 } & Omit<ViewportHelperFunctions, 'initialized'>;