diff --git a/packages/plugin-search/src/Search/hooks/deleteFromSearch.ts b/packages/plugin-search/src/Search/hooks/deleteFromSearch.ts
index 04a395598c..2c7fbcb64a 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-search/src/Search/hooks/deleteFromSearch.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-search/src/Search/hooks/deleteFromSearch.ts
@@ -1,43 +1,28 @@
 import type { DeleteFromSearch } from '../../types.js'
 
-export const deleteFromSearch: DeleteFromSearch = async ({
-  collection,
-  doc,
-  pluginConfig,
-  req: { payload },
-  req,
-}) => {
-  const searchSlug = pluginConfig?.searchOverrides?.slug || 'search'
-  try {
-    const searchDocQuery = await payload.find({
-      collection: searchSlug,
-      depth: 0,
-      limit: 1,
-      pagination: false,
-      req,
-      where: {
-        doc: {
-          equals: {
-            relationTo: collection.slug,
-            value: doc.id,
+export const deleteFromSearch: DeleteFromSearch =
+  (pluginConfig) =>
+  async ({ id, collection, req: { payload }, req }) => {
+    const searchSlug = pluginConfig?.searchOverrides?.slug || 'search'
+
+    try {
+      await payload.delete({
+        collection: searchSlug,
+        depth: 0,
+        req,
+        where: {
+          'doc.relationTo': {
+            equals: collection.slug,
+          },
+          'doc.value': {
+            equals: id,
           },
         },
-      },
-    })
-
-    if (searchDocQuery?.docs?.[0]) {
-      await payload.delete({
-        id: searchDocQuery?.docs?.[0]?.id,
-        collection: searchSlug,
-        req,
+      })
+    } catch (err: unknown) {
+      payload.logger.error({
+        err,
+        msg: `Error deleting ${searchSlug} doc.`,
       })
     }
-  } catch (err: unknown) {
-    payload.logger.error({
-      err,
-      msg: `Error deleting ${searchSlug} doc.`,
-    })
   }
-
-  return doc
-}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-search/src/index.ts b/packages/plugin-search/src/index.ts
index 05a4939dc1..fc4be4bd5d 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-search/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-search/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { CollectionAfterChangeHook, CollectionAfterDeleteHook, Config } from 'payload'
+import type { CollectionAfterChangeHook, Config } from 'payload'
 
 import type { SanitizedSearchPluginConfig, SearchPluginConfig } from './types.js'
 
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { syncWithSearch } from './Search/hooks/syncWithSearch.js'
 import { generateSearchCollection } from './Search/index.js'
 
 type CollectionAfterChangeHookArgs = Parameters<CollectionAfterChangeHook>[0]
-type CollectionAfterDeleteHookArgs = Parameters<CollectionAfterDeleteHook>[0]
 
 export const searchPlugin =
   (incomingPluginConfig: SearchPluginConfig) =>
@@ -67,14 +66,9 @@ export const searchPlugin =
                     })
                   },
                 ],
-                afterDelete: [
-                  ...(existingHooks?.afterDelete || []),
-                  async (args: CollectionAfterDeleteHookArgs) => {
-                    await deleteFromSearch({
-                      ...args,
-                      pluginConfig,
-                    })
-                  },
+                beforeDelete: [
+                  ...(existingHooks?.beforeDelete || []),
+                  deleteFromSearch(pluginConfig),
                 ],
               },
             }
diff --git a/packages/plugin-search/src/types.ts b/packages/plugin-search/src/types.ts
index 4b0e4c1f36..bd6dd0d15c 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-search/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-search/src/types.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type {
   CollectionAfterChangeHook,
-  CollectionAfterDeleteHook,
+  CollectionBeforeDeleteHook,
   CollectionConfig,
   Field,
   Locale,
@@ -96,8 +96,4 @@ export type SyncDocArgs = {
 // Convert the `collection` arg from `SanitizedCollectionConfig` to a string
 export type SyncWithSearch = (Args: SyncWithSearchArgs) => ReturnType<CollectionAfterChangeHook>
 
-export type DeleteFromSearch = (
-  Args: {
-    pluginConfig: SearchPluginConfig
-  } & Parameters<CollectionAfterDeleteHook>[0],
-) => ReturnType<CollectionAfterDeleteHook>
+export type DeleteFromSearch = (args: SearchPluginConfig) => CollectionBeforeDeleteHook
diff --git a/test/plugin-search/int.spec.ts b/test/plugin-search/int.spec.ts
index faaa3bdb3d..cf34f031be 100644
--- a/test/plugin-search/int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/plugin-search/int.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+import type { Payload } from 'payload'
+
 import path from 'path'
-import { NotFound, type Payload } from 'payload'
 import { wait } from 'payload/shared'
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'
 
@@ -300,8 +301,8 @@ describe('@payloadcms/plugin-search', () => {
       collection: 'search',
       depth: 0,
       where: {
-        'doc.value': {
-          equals: page.id,
+        id: {
+          equals: results[0].id,
         },
       },
     })