# Remove a device

Remove an offline device from your account, or move its projects and chats to this Mac first. Removal deletes its synced chats; its files stay put.

*Where in Studio: Studio → Settings → Devices & security → a device → Maintenance*

*Last updated: 2026-10-25*

Removing a device takes it off your account: its synced projects and chats are deleted, and its files stay on the machine. Studio offers **Remove** only for another device that has been offline for a few minutes, so a device that is merely between check-ins can never be removed by mistake. If you want to keep the device's projects and chats, **take them over** first.

![A server's Maintenance card with the Name, Update, Packages, Repair connection, Take over and Remove rows.](https://kelrova.com/docs/img/studio-devices/maintenance.png)

*A server's Maintenance card with Update, Packages, Repair connection, Take over and Remove.*

## Before you start: stop the server

A server that is still running checks in and comes back online, and a device that signs in again can reappear in your list. To retire a server for good, on the server:

```sh
kelrova daemon uninstall   # stop the service and remove it
kelrova logout             # forget the saved sign-in
```

Studio's files stay in `~/.kelrova`. Delete that folder only if you no longer need anything on the server: it holds the server's chats and its encryption keys, and a Linux server keeps no other copy of those keys ([Encryption of synced content](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/trust/encryption)).

## Move its work to this Mac

**Take over** moves the device's projects, chats, automations, workflows and schedules to this Mac, for example after you reinstalled a computer and it came back as a new device.

1. **Open the device**

   Select the offline device on **Devices & security**. **Take over** appears under **Maintenance** once the device has been offline for a few minutes.

2. **Confirm**

   Choose **Take over…**. The dialog counts the projects, chats, automations and workflows that will move. Choose **Take over**.

3. **Point projects at their folders**

   The files themselves do not move. A project whose folder is not on this Mac shows **Folder not found — Choose location…** in the sidebar; choose it and pick the folder.

## Remove the device

1. **Open the device**

   Select the offline device on **Devices & security**. Under **Maintenance**, the **Remove** row reads **Available once it has been offline for a few minutes.** until it can be removed.

2. **Read the confirmation**

   Choose **Remove…**. **Remove offline device?** names how many projects and chats will be deleted from sync. If the device has scheduled chats that have not run, the dialog says so: removing the device does not cancel them, and they can still start if the device comes back online.

3. **Remove**

   Choose **Remove**. This cannot be undone. Files and worktrees remain on the device.

**Remove** is offered only while Studio is signed in, and never for this Mac itself.

## Removing a device is not the same as revoking its access

The device list and the approvals are separate:

- **Removing a device** takes its row, projects and chats off your account.
- **Removing an approval** stops a device from working on this Mac. Do it under **This device** → **Who can work on this device** → **Remove**. To stop this Mac from working on a server, use **Remove my access** on the server's page.

When you retire a device that was approved to work on this Mac, do both. [Approved devices and signatures](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/trust/approved-devices) covers approvals.

## Orphaned chats

After a clean reinstall, your account can still list chats whose device no longer exists. Nobody can run them, and unless this Mac kept a key for them, nobody can read them. When there are any, **This device** → **Maintenance** shows **Orphaned chats** with **Clean up…**, which deletes them on every device after you confirm. Chats this Mac can still read are kept unless you turn on the option to delete them too, and scheduled chats are never deleted this way.

## Related

- [Device status](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/devices/status)
- [Approved devices and signatures](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/trust/approved-devices)
- [Backup and archived chats](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/trust/backup)
- [Add a server](https://kelrova.com/docs/studio/devices/add-server)