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Remote device action: delete

Use the delete remote action in Intune to permanently remove devices that are no longer needed, being repurposed, or missing. This action helps cleanup your device inventory and ensures that unmanaged or obsolete devices no longer appear in the admin center.

Delete remote action behavior by platform

When you use the Delete remote action in Intune, the command that triggers depends on the device platform and, for Android, the enrollment type.

  • For iOS/iPadOS, macOS, and Windows devices, the Delete action always triggers a Retire command.
  • For Android devices, the Delete action triggers either a Retire or Wipe command depending on the enrollment type.
Platform Enrollment Type Action Triggered
Windows Any Retire
iOS/iPadOS Any Retire
macOS Any Retire
Android Device administrator Retire
Android Personally-owned work profile (BYOD) Retire
Android Corporate-owned Fully managed (COBO) Wipe
Android Corporate-owned Dedicated (COSU) Wipe
Android Corporate-owned Work profile (COPE) Wipe
Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Wipe

Before retiring or deleting a Microsoft Entra joined device

If you delete or retire the Intune object for a Microsoft Entra joined device that is protected by BitLocker, Intune triggers a sync that removes key protectors. This action suspends BitLocker on the OS volume as a safeguard to prevent unrecoverable encryption scenarios when the Entra object is deleted.

Before retiring a Microsoft Entra joined device, make sure to back up any critical data that might be lost during the process, such as:

  • BitLocker recovery key
  • Local administrator account credentials

Requirements

Platform requirements

This remote action supports the following platforms:

  • Android
  • iOS/iPadOS
  • macOS
  • Windows

Role and permission requirements

To run this remote action, use an account with at least one of the following roles:

How to delete a device from the Intune admin center

  1. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Devices > All devices.
  2. From the devices list, select a device.
  3. At the top of the device overview pane, find the row of remote action icons. Select Delete. To confirm, select Yes.

Note

This remote action might be governed by an Intune access policy that requires Multiple Administrative Approval (MAA). If so, a second administrator must approve the action before it can proceed.

For more information, see Use access policies to require multiple administrative approvals.

Remove a device from Microsoft Entra ID

After executing the remote action on a device from Intune, you might also want to remove its record from Microsoft Entra ID to fully disconnect it from your organization's identity infrastructure. This step helps ensure that the device no longer appears in your tenant, avoids potential confusion in device inventory, and prevents lingering access permissions or stale records that could affect compliance or reporting.

For more information about removing devices from Microsoft Entra ID, see Manage stale devices in Microsoft Entra ID.

Remove an Apple ADE device from Apple Business Manager

After executing the remote action on an Apple Automated Device Enrollment (ADE) device in Intune, you might also need to release the device from Apple Business Manager to fully remove it from organizational control.

Follow these steps:

  1. Go to business.apple.com, navigate to the Devices section, and search for the device using its serial number.
  2. Select the device, opent the ... menu, and the select Release from Organization.
  3. Confirm the action by checking I understand this cannot be undone, and then select Continue.

Note

In some cases, the iOS device must be restored with iTunes to apply this change. Please find further instructions from Apple here.